CHANGE

Dear family and friends,

What a wonderful Christmas week it was!  I loved spending Christmas in Uruguay.  I didn´t feel homesick, which was wonderful -- I just enjoyed everything we did, and the skype call home was a happy privilege and a boost for me.  I pray that I can carry the Christmas spirit with me throughout the rest of this year, remembering my Savior and trusting in His grace.  I will take the counsel Elder Bednar gave in an MTC devotional and relish those few holidays spent here away from family -- it´s a unique experience for all of us, and therefore one to be enjoyed.

Well, my mind is somewhat scattered right now -- I can´t remember what I meant to tell you all.  I am focused on one big change:

I am training!!!!!  I am staying here in Florida, my first area, but I am now training a new missionary!  He is Elder Rivera from Peru and is a generally fantastic guy.  He arrived ready to work and did 3 contacts in the airport, even noting their addresses and everything!  So awesome.  His whole family are members.  He is 18 years old.  He seems pretty chill, and I think we will get along well.  I love him lots already.

Right now I´m in the chapel writing, because my p-day was consumed by meetings in Montevideo and meeting the new missionaries.  We have already placed one baptismal date in the street, though!  So that was good.  Nicolas, the guy we contacted, lives in the area of the sisters, though.

We need to find new people to teach, desperately!  We encountered a wonderful miracle right before Christmas in Susanna, a woman who lives in La Cruz.  She listened to the message of the restoration and showed interest, and accepted a Book of Mormon.  She was going to come to church but then cancelled. :(  Marisol and her family also cancelled. :(  She was sick.  So, once again, we just had Alejandro in church on Sunday, and he isn´t able to get baptized until he gets married, and there was some strange problem in the judicial system here, so they probably won´t even get married until march or so.  Oh well.  He´s coming to church, which is awesome!!!!!!!

This last transfer, we just had so many people fall through.  I´m excited to find and teach this transfer, and I believe we will find people who are ready to progress to baptism and confirmation.  It´s definitely intimidating to have such a big responsibility so soon.  I pray that the Spirit will help me know what to do so I can work well in the area and also help my companion.  I am going to try and focus more on faith and stop worrying about whatever weaknesses I have, because the Lord has called me to do this and His purpose is higher than I know.  He will help me.

I hope I can do it!  I ask for you prayers as I make this big jump and change.  I love you all so much and love receiving letters from you! :)

-Elder Max Olivier

Festivities, music, and lots of Christmas spirit!

Dear family and friends,

You are so wonderful -- you have no idea how great you are and how much you mean to me.  Your support, love, friendship, and acceptance of me have made me into who I am.  Thank you for being such great people and for being my friends! :)

This was a lovely week!  On Tuesday night, my companion and I took off to Montevideo, because the Assistants and President Cook were able to get a cello for me to play for a day!!!  Wednesday was our Christmas Conference, with all the Montevideo mission.  So on Tuesday, I got to rehearse the piece they had me play in!  Elder Perkins played piano and Elder Alder sang -- it was an arrangement of What Child is This.  It felt absolutely amazing to play cello again, after nearly four months of being without it!  It was also quite difficult, but I think with the help of God I produced a satisfactory and spiritually uplifting performance.  

We spent the night before the conference in the house of Elder Alder -- 8 elders live there!!!!  Their house was large, beautiful, and there was even air conditioning in the room where we slept!  What a luxury.  Unfortunately (or fortunately . . . ) there was also a scale!  I was dismayed to find that I had gained 10 pounds . . . but maybe it´s okay. ;)  Who knows.  Everyone always tells me I´m going to get fat in the mission -- it´s terribly irritating!  I refuse to do so!  When the food is pure carbs and fat, though, it can be slightly difficult . . . but I feel healthy, so I think all is well.  

People in Uruguay are oddly frank and direct -- they call people fat all the time without blushing -- I don´t think it´s even remotely offensive.  Same thing with skinny, black, white, whatever it may be -- it´s kinda funny!  Uruguayos just say it!

Anyways . . . the conference was fantastic!  We practiced in the morning.  My zone leader Elder Saavedra, who is a friend, and who also speaks the best english of any latin elder, invited me to sing with the mission choir!  It was a blast, and the songs weren´t difficult, so I was able to jump in at the last minute.  Apart from the mission choir, every zone also performed as a choir.  We heard the testimonies of the valientes (those who are going home and completing their mission) and talks from President and Sister Cook.  Then we had a lovely lunch all together and received gifts from the mission!  It was delightful.  I received English Liahonas from conference and from December -- Mom and Dad beat them to it with the conference issue!  I have loved studying the conference talks bit by bit -- the last conference was a HUGE impact in my life and I encourage you all to study the talks.  I recently read Elder Klebingat´s talk, a big favorite!  We were also given some candy, a beautiful tree of life pin made in the country, and the 1st Presidency´s Christmas card.  The whole experience was very uplifting and Christ-centered!  I love being a missionary during Christmastime -- I get to testify of Christ to everyone and share that great gift that He is.

On Thursday, we went to La Cruz with Alejandro in the morning to work on his house.  We mostly just did yardwork, which was quite nice for a change!  I love giving service, and I felt like I was actually somewhat useful, so that was good.  We spent the afternoon working there, and Hermana Cabrera (Alejandro´s wife-to-be) accompanied us for two lessons!  She has never gone out with the missionaries before.  She´s quite a character, working on getting active and getting her life in order, and she has a gift for naturally talking to people and connecting with them.  Our investigator Marisol welcomed us into her house and we were able to talk to her daughter and son who live with her!  They are wonderful.  The lesson was a bit of a struggle for me because the two grandkids were SUPER noisy and distracting most of the time, and I haven´t had to teach in many group situations like that before.  However, I felt the Spirit and did my best and know how to improve for next time.  The hilarious and ridiculous thing was that Hna. Cabrera gave Marisol a cigarette in the middle of the lesson!!!!!!!!!!  She is trying to quit smoking and has improved a lot since we arrived, but oh my!  That was a crazy moment.  We teased her about it -- she is so funny.  She said something like, "What, I´m not going to refuse her if she asks for a cigarette!"  At least she has fewer in her bag now! :)

On Friday, our little zone had a conference with President Cook and the assistants, with personal interviews with the President.  It was fantastic!!!  My faith was strengthened and I felt uplifted.  The highlight was the brief interview.  President Cook is a very loving man -- I felt very comfortable talking to him.  He told me that he is very pleased with the progress I have made in the mission and that he can tell that I have lots of love for my brothers and sisters.  It was exactly what I needed to hear to be edified and comforted.  

Saturday was the branch Christmas activity!  I played piano with the choir and the narration of the Christmas story with live nativity scene.  It was very spiritual and peaceful.  Marisol and her family came all the way from La Cruz!!!!!!!!  The branch president´s wife was able to pick them up, and the elders quorum pres. was able to take them home.  We were so excited.  We had to leave before the activity was over (without eating the food . . . oh well) because they started quite late and we had to be in the house at 9:30.

Sunday was a bit of a struggle, but an incredible experience.  No one we teach showed up to church.  Earlier in the week, we saw Paula and she is going to another church right now. :(  I think my companion has mostly given up hope on her, but I haven´t.  We must talk to her again this week.  

I will share the hard but good experience as recorded in my journal:

"No one we teach showed up to church. :(  But when we walked in, the Hnas. told us they had a surprise and that the reference they gave us from Calleros [a street] showed up to church with them!  he was a wiry old man who smelled strongly of alcohol and tobacco.  Needless to say, I was excited.  When I took a seat next to him after I played the piano, we listened to the talks.  Walter [his name] randomly got up and bid farewell to the sisters (missionaries) . . . E. Aviña signalled for us to accompany him our.  I was very confused as to why, and what was going on, but then Walter took out a cigarette outside the doors.  E. Aviña left me to speak, but I had no clue what to say in this odd, unfamiliar situation.  Eventually my companion told him not to smoke there, so he started towards the gate.  I was still left to speak and still was clueless and nervous, so I just asked questions to try and get to know him and his circumstances better.  BIG MISTAKE.  He got offended and asked if I was police, after which he stormed away.  Needless to say, I felt HORRIBLE.  It was perhaps the most crushing single moment of my mission.

"We went back in.  I didn´t understand a word of Hno. Suarez´s talk, sadly, because my heart was broken and my mind was ablaze with sadness, remorse, and self-doubt and self-destruction.  This was after taking the sacrament and feeling a certain burden of self-doubt lifted away.  But the Lord knows me perfectly and knows how to refine me with His great fire so that I can truly grow -- for this He gave me this grand trial.  Because of my weakness, my stress shot up and my brain fell into instant depression -- I destroyed myself over this great or grave error.  I don´t 100% know why.  I had actual thoughts of giving up on everything, like this mistake was the end.  I didn´t have enough faith that the Savior´s Atonement would make it all okay.  I couldn´t forgive myself for being so imperfect and having such a hard time with such a simple thing: knowing what to say, or how to naturally make small talk with someone [in Spanish!].

"Thankfully, the Savior of course succored me.  I uttered prayers of desperation in these hard moments.  It was so hard to get up and play two lively Christmas hymns when I felt so terrible with bitter tears of sorrow in my eyes.  However, I felt the Spirit coming to me through these hymns.  THen I had to offer the closing prayer!  Or, I got to -- it was a privilege and a help.  I offered one of the most earnest, sincere, heartfelt, simple prayers of my life.  I asked Heavenly Father to help us love and forgive.  After that, and after seeing INTENSE rain, I briefly expressed my feelings to E. Aviña in private, apologizing, and telling him how I felt awful and tried and failed.  He told me with love that it´s part of the mission, and not to feel bad, but to learn from the experience.  That comforted me.  He said we would take turns [doing contacts] so I could see more of how he talks to people instead of leaving every beginning up to me.  I think he saw that this is just an honest weakness I have . . . that I really do try my best, but it will take time.

"I feel like I was able to forgive myself after that and trust in Christ.  It was good because I became humbled.  I don´t really know how to get rid of all my fear -- all my self-doubt.  I don´t know what to say.  however, I can turn to God for all my support.  Now I am praying and fasting that He will help me know what to do to get rid of doubt and fear so I can replace it with faith."

As you can see, I am perhaps overly hard on myself, and I do find it difficult to forgive myself and trust myself.  I am trying to apply the wonderful teachings in Elder Klebingat´s conference talk about being spiritually self-confident.  Thoughts of inadequacy and of self-deprecation come from the adversary.  God is patient with me and He works with me.  My Savior will forgive me.  I just need to learn to forgive myself and trust myself.

Now I am feeling better. Fasting helped a TON.  I am eager to make the most of this wonderful Christmas week!  Sister Gammon said in an email that Elder Bednar gave a devotional at the MTC in which he said that we should RELISH our holidays away from our families, because the rest of our lives we can be with them.  Right now I am so happy to be serving others and focusing on Christ this Christmas!!!!!!!!!  It´s the best!

Many thanks to Mom & Dad for the package!  Also, many thanks to Grandma & Grandpa Taylor for the package of heavenly granola bars!!!!!

Love you tons!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

--Elder Max Olivier

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6v-iSgCAVM&feature=youtu.be

Watch that!!!!

A grand week of work and patience! :)

Dear family and friends,

This week was utterly fantastic!  We got to do a "choque de fuerzas" two times as a district, which was super fun.  It´s when all the missionaries of our district go to one area to work together for two hours, contacting and searching for new investigators.  The spirit of unity and teamwork by doing so is delightful, and it´s always a pleasure to see and work with the amazing missionaries of my zone.  We also do it as a very brief exchange.  The first time, I got to work with zone leader extraordinaire Elder Saavedra of Peru, and the second time with district leader extraordinaire Elder Huaira, also of Peru.  The first one was in our own area!

I feel like my companion and I are getting along a lot better -- I am able to be patient with him and accept his criticisms however they are delivered.  We are working hard together, which is my favorite part!  We definitely teach well together, and pretty much always have.  That´s the most important part, I guess!  We´re continually improving.

On Friday, we got to do divisions with two young men members!  I went with Bryan, 17, of another branch.  We just did a bunch of contacts together, and it was a delight.  I felt fairly confident leading the way without my trainer, and felt really good about the work we did.  Unfortunately we didn´t find anyone who is truly ready to progress, but we did all we could.

Saturday we spent most of the day in La Cruz.  It went really well.  We taught some really good lessons and found some promising new people, but none of them came to church and a couple have already generally fallen through.  Oh well, we did our part and worked really hard!  We´ve been doing all we can these last several weeks to find new investigators, but no one is working out.  However, I don´t feel disappointed in myself, because I am doing everything I can.  It does make me a bit sad to see people fail to accept the blessings of the gospel, but not too sad -- how can I be sad when I am preaching the gospel of Christ to the people? :)  I absolutely love testifying of Christ and bringing peace, hope, and joy into the lives of those who have little.  I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that through Him we can improve in this life and leave behind our sins.  I know that His Atonement is enough for us.

I have been learning so much more about the continuous power and grace of the Atonement!  Even so, I am finding that I still struggle at times.  I make lots of mistakes, it is true!  And my companion lets me know, which can be hard at times -- he gets frustrated when I don´t progress quickly enough, and of course so do I.  But I am being patient with myself (and with him), and I am improving every day.  I find it difficult to be kind to myself, especially when I make mistakes, but I lean on Heavenly Father through constant prayer, and my spirits are high.  I just need to learn even more how to love me . . . .  But I´m getting there!

We had a powerful discussion with Paula on Saturday night!  She was our only hope for someone who would actually come to church, and therefore be able to be baptized by the end of this month.  The Spirit was strong -- she has truly progressed.  Her boyfriend left her house this week, which is very good, because they were not getting along, not keeping the commandments, . . . . . . . it was just a generally bad situation, but now she is really progressing spiritually!!!!  And she came to church on Sunday with her 3 sons!  YAAAAAYYYYYYY it was so happy.  She is planning to be baptized on the 27th!  We have another lesson with her on Wednesday night, and our fantastic RS Pres., Hna. Luengo, will accompany us.

Paula was the miracle of this week.  Pray for her!  I look forward to working hard this week.  I love you all so much.  Shout out to Mom for her amazing package, and to Jessie who RAN A MARATHON and COMPLETED IT!!!!!!  OH my gosh that´s awesome.  

Love!

--Elder Max Olivier

Summer has arrived!!! :)

Dear family and friends,

Yes, it is summer here.  However, Uruguay is strange and indecisive.  This morning was a blanket of fog, yesterday was a mishmash of sun and rain, Saturday was overwhelmingly hot and humid.  Yep.  Bring it on, Uruguay! :)  Mom, you would die for how humid it has been recently.  Also, you would appreciate the amount of ceiling fans in the chapel here.  I will try to get a picture of it.

This week was crazy!  On Tuesday, we were able to go to the temple again!  The first two baptisms of Elder Aviña received their endowments.  It was such a special, powerful spiritual experience, and these two women (mother and daughter) are so special and full of light.  We even got to do some initiatories before the endowment session in the temple!  I love going to the house of the Lord to participate in these sacred ordinances.  I feel God´s love and presence there so strongly.  I felt comforted in a big way, and like I should stop worrying so much. :) (duh, I always worry too much.)  

When we were there, I took the advice of my family members and splurged on treats at Tienda Inglesa.  Yum.  If you still don´t know what an alfajor is, you have yet to discover a devilishly delicious treat . . . hmmmmmmmmm, that sounds terrible.  Oh well, it kinda is. :)  On a semi-related note, the food here is too high in fat!  Lots of stuff unabashedly has trans fat!  Can Nicole and Mom, the nutrition experts, or Elder Persson, explain to me what trans fat is? :)

Anyways.  That day was basically perfect.  On wednesday morning, we went to La Cruz, a tiny town that pertains to our branch.  The sisters serving in our branch with us also came, and we did some good proselyting there.  Woo!  The people are so welcoming and open to listen and learn.  On thursday, we visited the houses of most of our present investigators, basically to no avail.  Our people are really falling through, which is why we´re going to La Cruz now.  Often, people will receive us well the first time, commit to another visit, and then never receive us again.  It´s sad and frustrating, because I know that they are missing out on the Gospel of Jesus Christ -- they´re missing out on joy, peace, and a changed life.

On Friday we had zone conference, and I got to go to Sarandi for an intercambio with Elder Vasquez.  He is awesome!  We basically just did lots of contacting and had a wonderful lesson on prayer with some less-active members.

Saturday, we had a volleyball activity in the gym!  Although we publicized like mad with our branch and our investigators, not many people showed up.  It was still a success!

My time leaves me.  Yesterday we had another very spiritual lesson with Alejandro.  He gave the closing prayer, and touched my heart forever.  He thanked God for sending him two angels, two marvelous people, to teach him and show him the way.  He will become a STRONG member of the church in due time!  If only Uruguay were faster with marriage dates and legal stuff . . . . . . but he will get married and then baptized. :)

I learned this week to keep my attitude in the highest level, to follow after Christ by being merciful, patient, and long-suffering.  I am learning to be patient and meek, especially in my companion relationship.  I think things are going well now.  I am eager to work hard this week!

Only Alejandro came to church. :(  But we found an amazing woman in La Cruz who immediately accepted our invitation to church and to be baptized.

Love you all so much!!!!!

The picture is old -- it´s me in Montevideo.

No time! :)

Dear friends and family,

This week was a fantastic experience.  It flew by incredibly quickly!  Because I have no time, I must skip to the most relevant.

We got to go to Alejandro´s new house again!  The whole elder's quorum was supposed to show up, but only the president came.  However, we were able to recruit the 4 other elder missionaries who are serving in the city to come with us.  yay!  We left at 6:30 on Saturday morning.  It was a truly great service project.  We worked on building his bathroom!  I have never built a bathroom before.  I felt official as I laid bricks and mortar. :)  Alejandro is amazing.  He is growing spiritually in ways I never dreamed of.  When I had a private moment to chat with him as we were all working, he asked me if I felt the Spirit of charity.  I was stunned!  I hadn´t been paying attention enough to feel the Spirit, but he was feeling it.  Earlier this week, we had a discussion with him that was the best lesson of my whole mission.  I felt like I was able to lovingly teach him using the techniques I have been working on and learning, and he truly understood the gospel of Christ.  He accepted a baptismal invitation!!!  He is getting married to his wife, Hna. Cabrera, but Uruguay is a pain with marriages and dates -- but I know he will be baptized eventually.  It was a powerful spiritual experience to see how this humble man is growing spiritually and being prepared by the Lord in big and small ways.  He is reading the Book of Mormon and praying out loud and personally.  He is changing.  I feel so privileged to see that.  I love him so much!

However, no one showed up to church on sunday.  Ghastly!  It was only 1 hour because of elections.  No investigators or recent converts came.  Teardrop.  But we did pretty much everything we could.  We had an awesome family home evening with the YSA and we got to go proseltying with an awesome member, Tomy, for two hours.  Fantastic day!

Love you all so much!  The photo is my reaction to Alejandro´s car that I described last week.

Much love,

Elder Max Olivier

A great week for service! :)

Dearest,

What a week!

Last monday: not p-day, but we don´t have scheduled lunches with members on mondays.  However, a fantastic family in our branch just randomly decided to offer us lunch!  So generous.

Tuesday we played volleyball at the branch activity!  We miraculously found a net and ball.  The local volleyball coach loaned us a net after we called like 5 different people while talking to someone at the municipal gym behind our house.  Woo!

Wednesday we set a goal to have 3 lessons per hour.  We need to find new people to teach, and we hadn´t been doing a very good job of talking to everyone.  So we truly talked to everyone on Wednesday, basically the whole day.  I don´t think we had any fixed lessons, so we just knocked doors and proselyted!  woo!  The day passed slowly, but it was a great experience.  We achieved a lot that day -- not quite 3 per hour, but with good reason -- we had some quality little lessons and found some interesting people who can progress.  We learned that an investigator we had only talked to once just died!  Oh  my.  We knew she was old and sick, and we had passed by many times to no avail.  The first time we met Laura García, she told us she was looking for the true church of God and didn´t know where to find it.  She was super open to the message of the Restoration!  I am sure she is accepting the gospel in the spirit world now.  We were able to talk with her sister a bit and testify of eternal life and comfort her.  Very interesting!

Thursday was another awesome day of talking to everyone.  Our old investigators are kinda falling through right now, but we are finding some new people.

Friday we moved a bunch of furniture from a member´s upstairs apartment down below --- it was awesome!!!  You should have seen the mad staircase we had to climb and descend with heavy stuff.  It was basically the best.

Saturday we went to Alejandro´s house in La Cruz again to help him build it!  However, this time was less useful than last time.  He has a new car that is cualquier choripan . . . I have some awesome pictures but the computer doesn´t like them.  It is slow, has a radiator that consumes water and angrily steams and explodes while driving, and it is basically awesome.  :) :).

(my reaction to his car)

Sunday was fantastic.  We had a dream charla with an investigator of gold.  He is Emanuel, 17 years old, and has an incredibly sincere desire to learn truth and be baptized.

So much more to say.  I love this church!  It is truly the Church of Jesus Christ.  He is our Savior.  Trust Him.  Love Him.  Know that God is real.  I love you all!

--Elder Max Olivier

A busy, interesting week! :)

Dear Family and Friends,

I love you all!  I know I don´t always send this to everyone . . .so I hope everyone ends up receiving it! :)

Tuesday I had a great intercambio (exchange?) with Elder Huaira, my district leader.  It was the second intercambio in which I had to stay in the area and thus direct the work.  I was more comfortable this time, and it went pretty well!  We didn´t have any seated, fixed discussions, which is always a bummer, but we made some good contacts and felt the Spirit.  We also did the branch activity.

Thursday we had the conference of the 2 missions!!!  (Us, and the Montevideo West mission.)  Elder Craig C Christensen of the presidency of the 70 came.  It was such a fantastic experience.  We got to hear from the 2 mission presidents and their spouses, along with an area authority and his wife.  Elder and Sister Christensen both speak amazing Spanish.  I learned a ton, but the general ambience of the meeting was one of joy.  I learned to let the Spirit into my heart so I can rejoice in the work and be happy.  He talked about the nature and importance of our missionary calling.  I feel so excited and privileged to be a missionary.  It´s not the easiest calling, but it is so rewarding, and I am growing and changing so much, so positively -- especially in a spiritual way.  My testimony has become so much stronger, and I am able to recognize the Spirit more easily than before, because I am focused on doing so and on fortifying myself and others with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

On Saturday, a couple Elder Aviña taught was sealed in the temple!!!!  We were able to go to the endowment session and their sealing right after.  I have never been to a temple sealing before.  It was SO HAPPY and so special.  I didn´t have to know them to feel their love.  It was amazing to see people achieve the goal of an eternal family.  I felt the Spirit in a joyous, powerful way that was entirely new to me.  When their two little kids came in . . . let´s just say that I almost lost it.  :)  So beautiful!  I am so grateful that my parents were sealed in the temple and that my family can live together forever.  I testify of that fact often! :)

TONS more happened this week.  But . . . Sunday was great!  I always love going to church here and partaking of the sacrament.  There are so many incredible members.  We got to hear from the branch president and the district president because it was branch conference.  What powerful talks they gave!  That night, we were able to go out contacting with our good friend Frederico Ladereche.  He just returned from his mission in Brazil and is a wonderful guy and a great missionary.  He helps us out often.  

Well, chau!  Time is over.  I am loving the work, learning tons, and meeting many amazing people.  thanks for your prayers -- I feel the support from home when I need it.  Love you all!!!

--Elder Max Olivier

MILAGROS

Dear family and friends,

What a week of miracles.  Saturday was the grandest miracle I have witnessed.  

Monday I felt homesick for the first time.  I don´t know why.  I just had a bad attitude.  But getting back into the joyous work made me feel lots better.

Tuesday I woke up sick . ..  I still am.  That´s been a drag.  Yep.  But I worked through it and had a fantastic day because I was eager to get back to work.

Wednesday my companion fell ill . . . he reacted badly to chorizo that members fed us.  We had to go home early.  I used the time to clean, read, and ponder.  He got better quickly, thankfully!  I was really worried for him, but all was well.

Thursday we traveled to Montevideo to have a meeting with President and all the new missionaries and their trainers!  On the bus back, I taught two kids who live in our area . . . they are so sad.  They both use drugs and smoke.  They´re only 12 and 14.  :(

Friday was zone conference and TONSSSSSSSS of walking.  I just about died.  But I was happy!

Saturday we had the opportunity to take Maria Eugenia and her young siblings who are members, along with Jaqueline (a less-active) and Alejandro (boyfriend of hermana Cabrera), to the TEMPLE!!!!  It was so special and spiritual to introduce the temple to these wonderful investigators.  There we had an incredible miraculous experience.  My companion and I were able to go into the celestial room to pray for about 15 minutes.  In there, he told me that he had the impression to invite Maru (Maria Eugenia) to be baptized that very day.  I instantly felt a powerful confirming witness.  We have been teaching her, but she told us she would not be baptized because she doesn´t think she can keep the law of chastity with her boyfriend.  She asked us not to bring up baptism again.  That was some weeks ago.  She understood the law of chastity and wanted to live it, but decided not to at that time.  However, she is reading the book of mormon, praying, and going to church!  She is super amazing.  She is the one whose father killed her mother, and she is in charge of her little siblings now like a mom.

We did what the Lord commanded.  We invited her to be baptized just outside the temple while the others walked to the car.  I testified, and told her that she is special daughter of God and that baptism was His will for her.  She got teary and accepted the invitation!  She said she was praying in the waiting room for many answers, and that this was the answer to all her questions, though not really the one she expected.  There was already a baptismal service that night for a girl from a part-member family.  I was able to baptize Maru that night!  It was such a powerful experience.  She is such an amazing daughter of God.  The service was incredibly spiritual ... everyone felt the spirit very strongly.  She was ready for baptism and needed it, and now she will be blessed so greatly.  She is going to tell her boyfriend this tuesday or wednesday and either leave him or live the Law with him and bring him into the church!

My time is short.  So many small miracles led to this great one . . . I wish I could tell you all of them now, but I must stop writing.  I love you all so much and I thank you for your prayers, love, support, and friendship with one so imperfect as I.  I am feeling great right now and loving the work and learning every day.  Bye!

--Elder Max Olivier

Reunión de oros.  Me with Elder Carroll, my wonderful district leader and a best friend in the CCM, and other good friend from CCM Elder Bauer.  It was so nice to see everyone from the CCM again.  They are wonderful!

¡¡¡EMANUEL FUE BAUTIZADO!!! :)‏

Dear family and friends,

This week was so fantastic.  The obvious highlight was Saturday!!!  Emanuel and Iara (daughter of Hermana Maria Jose Cabrera, a less-active member) were both baptized!!!!!!  I was able to baptize Emanuel and on Sunday I was able to confirm Iara.  

At the baptismal service, it was like a happy dream.  I felt the Spirit so strongly and peacefully in a way I have never felt it before.  Emanuel is such an amazing person, and the Lord truly prepared him for us before we arrived.  All we had to do was teach him and help him make commitments.  He truly made a lifelong covenant with God on Saturday, and the incredible gift of the Holy Ghost will help him keep that covenant his whole life.  I feel so privileged to know him, and to have had the chance to baptize him.  The whole service was very happy and peaceful.  I have never felt the Spirit in such an exuberant, constant, joyous fashion before.  I couldn´t wipe the smile off my face.  Seeing the members and families that attended the service was so special and exciting!!!

The Sunday service was also very special.  Seeing the two new members of the church was just fantastic, and the Spirit was strong during their confirmations.  I am SOOO grateful for the gift of the Holy Ghost.  It is a grand blessing that we don´t fully appreciate, but we have it, and we can always learn more about how to recognize and follow the Spirit.  Indeed, He can help us in every single aspect of our lives.  I am learning to trust that guidance more and more, but it is difficult to discern at times.  However, the Spirit is always available to us as long as we are worthy and listening and seeking and acting.

Emanuel wants to get married to his girlfriend!!!  We shall help them make plans to go to the temple together.  Maria Jose Cabrera also wants to get married to her boyfriend!!!!  He sat in on our last discussion with her family, and his interest in the church is slowly growing.  These two beautiful couples need to go to the temple!!!  They will be so blessed.  We shall do all we can to help them make that a goal.

Church was also amazing because of who showed up.  Maria Eugenia came!!!  She even bore her testimony!!!  She is progressing, and it is amazing.  I was humbled when she thanked us at the pulpit for helping her to progress by reading the scriptures and praying.  I think she wants to be baptized, she just has to figure out what to do with her boyfriend.  We shall continue visiting her periodically.

So much more to write, but my time is spent.

Curiosities:

1. fireflies!  I have never seen them before.  Very beautiful.

2. Frogs!  Everywhere!  Squished flat in the street by cars!

3. I met a Mennonite from California who barely speaks Spanish!  What??!!

4. much more, but no time . . .

photos from Oct. 31 - Nov. 3

Elder Aviña and I about to go out in the heavy rain!  My rain gear works very well.  The rain is crazy and beautiful here!!! (We think he looks very tan for an Olivier!)

La bandera Uruguaya -- from today, at a tiny uninteresting museum

A curious breakfast sandwich given by the members of the bakery.  

The food here is good, but strangely bland and always fatty.  There´s lots of milanesa (thin, fried meat), rice, eggs, fideas con tuco (noodles with sauce and meat), and other stuff that I don´t have names for.  Uruguay has a strange obsession with mayonesa (can´t remember how to spell that in english) -- they use it with almost everything in somewhat large quantities.  Also: Dulce de leche is fantastic and everywhere.  And alfajores are delightful and truly dangerous.  They´re like an oreo from heaven, but not macarons . . . they´re cheaper and bigger, but quite good.

Photos from Florida

Elder Olivier and his companion, Elder Avina - eating ice cream on p-day.

Zone FLORIDAAAAA!!!!

Zone activity on p-day

P-day selfie

What a great week!!!

Dearest,

I wrote a list of things that I simply have to write home about that haven´t yet made it into the letters.

We continue to receive on many nights bags of croissant-like pastries tossed up to us!!  So kind.  We visited the bakery one time to give our thanks.  The couple that works there are members in a different branch in the city, but they still give us food.  Oh my, they were amazingly generous when we were in their store.  They showed us with excitement all the ovens and back corners, and gave us cute little tarts, bread, and then sent us home with an entire pound cake!  All for free!  Just because!  The members of the church in Uruguay have so much faith and strength when there aren´t many others who are strong in the faith.  They are also so generous.  Almost everyone whose house we stop by at offers us cold drinks.  It is very common to drink carbonated water here, which I love and my companion hates.  :)  We´re always receiving generous offerings, even from people who have very little.

After that bakery experience, we went to meet an inactive family.  They weren´t expecting us.  The mom and oldest daughter were smoking on the porch.  Her oldest son was about to return from a mission (he just got back this last monday).  They promptly extinguished their cigarettes and we had a very good chat.  She was very open with us -- she used to be a relief society president and many other very active callings, but she got divorced and had lots of problems in her family, and they haven´t gone to church for years, and she started smoking again.  I love the way that Uruguayos are so frank and open.  Most people we talk to are that way -- very honest about their problems and their lives.  It´s not common in the US.

Some curiosities of Uruguay: everyone rides motorcyles!!  I mean EVERYONE!  From 14-year-old boys to 80-year-old grandmas and everything in between and everything not included in that category . . . . yep, everyone rides them.  It´s pretty funny.  Also, it´s "cool" to take out the muffler, which my companion called the stupidest thing he´s ever heard of. :) It is bad.  Also, like most of South America, I imagine, there are tons of dogs here.  Everyone has a dog or 10.  We just had elections here, and there were these obnoxious cars driving around playing political ads.  We adopted one of their slogans: "Somos hoy, somos ahora" "We are today, we are now" :)

We are teaching a fantastic man named Emanuel.  He is the boyfriend of a girl who is the daughter of our ward mission leader.  Their family, that of the ward mission leader, is familia Oyarzabal.  They are so fantastic!  I love their devotion to the gospel.  They are super nice and always welcome us into their home.  We teach Emanuel at their house, because he always goes over there after work to relax and be with that family and his girlfriend.  He came to church on Sunday!!!  It was such a joy!  He´s the coolest guy -- very chilled out, very genuine.  He is very interested in the gospel and has been to church before, and even went on the branch temple trip without realizing that he couldn´t go inside.  He told us he would love to enter the temple.  He has faith and a desire to repent and be baptized.  He is working on quitting smoking right now to achieve the goal of being baptized on the 31st.  I know he can do it!  

We were teaching a woman named Maria Eugenia.  She is in her twenties and takes care of her two young siblings.  Horrifically, their father killed their mother.  I can´t even imagine what they went through.  The two kids are members and are the sweetest little spirits ever.  Maria has trouble with the law of chastity because she has a boyfriend, but they do not live together.  She accepted the law, but has decided not to be baptized.  We have not given up on her though.  She is wonderful.  We have had a family home evening with their family.

My time runs thin, so I must cut to the chase.  On Saturday, I had the opportunity to give a blessing in Spanish for the first time!  I felt the Spirit so strongly, and even though I couldn´t say very much, I felt the love of the Lord for Maria Jose Cabrera, the less-active member we teach.  She has had a lot of problems in her life and is in a sad situation right now.  Her house is the most humble house I have ever been in.  She´s not married to her boyfriend, but they have three kids.  Her 8-year-old daughter is being baptized on the 31st!!!  Her boyfriend is not a member.  She really has a sincere desire to change her life and get active in the church, and she´s working to achieve that.  She´s working to stop smoking and to get married and to generally turn her life around.  It´s awesome to see someone progress like that!!!

We also had a rockin lesson with Emanuel on the law of chastity.  Hermana Oyarzabal testified so sweetly of the law and the impact it has had in her family and her marriage.  Mom and Dad, I´m so grateful that you have lived that law!  I often testify of my family´s strength because of the strength of my parents.  

Yesterday, we gave another blessing in the hospital.  We randomly just walked in and wandered around -- NOT possible in the US!!!  

We also had a cool lesson with an adamant baptist guy.  He was awesome!  He and his daughter refused to believe in Joseph Smith, but we left them a BoM!  It felt great to testify of Joseph Smith.

Much love to everyone!!  Know that I am loving this missionary work so much.  I am being much more patient with myself as well.  The church is so true!!!

--Elder Max Olivier

The sacrament is holy

Dearest ones,

This week was so wonderful!  Being a missionary is such a privilege and a joy!  

It is also hard at times.  Especially when you´re me, and you demand perfection of yourself and overcomplicate everything. :)  I´m learning, though!

Yesterday was an amazing experience.  Our investigators Sebastian and Margarita, two teenagers, texted us at 7:20, before church at 9:00, to say that they did not want us to come over anymore and that they weren´t coming to church.  I cried.  We had a lesson with Sebastian the night before, and I could see that he was interested.  He even committed to come to church.  I can see how much the gospel will bless people´s lives, so I get so frustrated and sad when they don´t see it.  I of course blamed myself a bit, and I was so sad because my heart was set on seeing Sebastian in church.  I have been too uptight and trying to be perfect immediately, so this was all a great experience.

On the way to church, we saw Hermana Cabrera, the less-active woman we taught on our first night here.  I was so excited to see her and her daughter in sunday dress coming to church!  There was even Rodrigo, a crazy recent convert there too!!  Seeing them comforted me.

The sacrament meeting was amazing.  I felt the spirit so strongly.  The sacrament was one of the greatest experiences of my life.  I felt that I had truly repented of my sins and mistakes, and I felt the Savior lifting my burdens from me, comforting me, and letting me know that I don´t have to be perfect now.  I just have to do my best and keep going.  That´s what I´m doing!!

Yikes, there´s much more to say, but my time is over now.  We are striving to find more people and work with members so that we can get some people who actually make committments!!!  I am so eager to help people come unto Christ and realize the blessings of the gospel!

Love,

Élder Olivier

our study area!

My CCM teacher Hermano Pedersen.  What a guy!  I want to be like him!  He served a mission in Utah but is from Buenos Aires.

Helloooo, Uruguay!

Dear ones,

I am now working in the actual mission field!  Wow!  The area assigned to me and my amazing companion is in the beautiful little city of Florida, about 2 or 3 hours north of Montevideo.  Look it up -- it is wonderful here.  

My companion is Elder Aviña of Mexico City.  He is truly amazing.  He has tons of experience, skills, methods,  . . . . everything.  I hope I can truly learn from him.  I already am progressing out here.  Both of us are completely new to the area, so we are working to find people to teach.  There were just a few people with info left to us from the previous elders.  

The first day here was amazing.  We arrived at about 6pm to our house, and a note left for us inside said that we were to have a lesson with a sister who is a member of the church (but inactive) and her daughter who wants to be baptized.  We were at their house in under an hour, teaching!  Wow, it was very cool.  I felt the Spirit.  Since then, we have had about 15 lessons or so this week.  I have loved being able to sit in homes with people and teach them about the joyous message of the gospel of Christ.  I cannot understand everything, nor can I say everything that I want to say, but I am improving bit by bit.  I hope to improve much more.  However, when I am able to teach and converse and understand, it is truly wonderful.  We have some promising investigators, and I hope they choose to act upon our messages, because I know how much the gospel of Jesus Christ as well as the church will make a difference in their lives.  I hope to see progression in the people, and true changes.

Yesterday, we went to church -- my first time in Uruguay and my first time in Spanish!  It was wonderful.  We serve in the Ferroviario branch, along with a companionship of sisters.  The branch is wonderful . . . it is amazing to see faithful, active members of the church in this small Uruguayo neighborhood.  I had to present myself and share my testimony in spanish -- it went well!

Much love,

--Élder Olivier

no time left!  next week I will write more and send more pictures.

Arrived safely in my first area!

Mom and Dad,

Hello!!!  I have 15 minutes now to write you.  On Martes (or tuesday), we flew to Uruguay.  It was a very short flight of 45 minutes.  We went to the mission home in Montevideo, which was very pleasant.  President and Sister Cook are wonderful.  The missionaries here are amazing and full of energy and good attitudes.  We had the opportunity to go proselyting with an experienced missionary that first day.  Elder Quezada accompanied me -- he is one of the secretaries.  It was an amazing experience -- he knows exactly what he is doing!

We then received our trainers and arrived in our areas.  I am so lucky!!  My trainer is Elder Aviña, of Mexico City.  He is fantastic.  He has been a district leader and was just a zone leader.  I am his second trainee.  Here, new missionaries are called oros, or goldens, instead of greenies.  How nice!  We already get along well.  He is very nice, patient with me, and a great teacher.  We arrived in Florida yesterday, our city.  It is beautiful.  We arrived at about 7pm, and we were teaching at an appointment at 8!  The ward mission leader also called us and we met him.  E. Aviña said that this never happens and that our area is amazing and already full of miracles.  That night, a man tossed us a bag of pastries up to our window from the street below.  Apparently, he brings treats every night to the missionaries in that house!  Wow.  Also, we eat lunch with members every day here -- crazy!  Today, we have been working on cleaning the filthy house . . . the shower curtain was frightfully moldy, so we replaced that.  Everything is much cleaner now.  We already had lunch today.  

So much to say, but no time.  I am so excited to be here!  I love it!  I am working on understanding more spanish, but I feel pretty okay right now.  I can usually understand my companion quite well, and he is patient with me.  He also knows some english.

Chau!!!

Much love,

--Elder Olivier