Apologies to those who may receive this message twice :)‏

Dearest friends and family,

I must share an important story, although the time is short.  I was able to go proselyting again on Saturday, for the second time.  Yay!!!  My companion was ill, so I went with two elders in my district whose area was adjacent to ours.  We were able to spend time in both areas.  (I am going again this next Saturday, too!!!)

The first outing, we gave a Book of Mormon to Griselda as I wrote about last week.  We also gave a Book of Mormon to Carlos, a very friendly middle-aged man who was working on his lawn.  We talked to him for a good 45 minutes or so on his little lawn, and when I explained the Book of Mormon and gave it to him, he was very interested!  He believes in God, but doesn´t yet have firm creencias (beliefs) -- he has read many canonical religious books.  

This last outing, I was determined to follow up with Griselda and Carlos.  No luck whatsoever with Griselda -- she was not home.  I thought we wouldn´t be able to talk to Carlos either, because we tried three times throughout the day and he was not home.  To my utter joy, as we were waiting at the meeting point for our bus to pick us up, I saw Carlos walking across the street!  I ran to him, and he even turned away a cell phone call to talk to me.  He was able to read in the Book of Mormon and he told me that he loved the vision of the tree of life.  Since this was Saturday, I gave him the address and time for the nearest LDS church, and he said he would go!  I hope that he did.  I hope the local missionaries are able to get in touch with him and teach him, because he needs the gospel desperately and I think he is ready for it, too.  What a miracle that I got to talk to him!

This has been one of the greatest weeks of my life.  We had a terrible lesson with our practice investigator Genoveva, because of me and my pride.  I felt so bad afterwards, and I didn´t feel the Spirit during the lesson at all because I was leaning unto my own understanding.  She was not keeping commitments or progressing at all, and I felt like it was my fault.  I am learning that I must RELY on the Spirit, and do so COMPLETELY, and it feels amazing when I am able to do so.  I wish I had time to explain all the wonderful experiences and things that I have learned this week, but I only have two minutes left in here.  It will suffice to say that I love God, He is merciful, and He answers our prayers.  I love my teachers so much -- they follow the Spirit to teach us the things we need to know to progress in our abilities as servants of Christ.  

I have been fasting English since Monday this week!  I love it!

Monday: 26 english words

Tuesday: 12 english words, plus a grammar lesson with a fellow missionary in english

Wednesday: 1 english word, plus 20 in a class grammar lesson and 30 in a companionship vocab quiz, but those do not count.

I will continue to speak only spanish until next wednesday!  Joy!!!!

I look back with wonder on the days when I though Spanish was an ugly language.  It is so beautiful and I love it so much.

¡Chau!

--Love from Elder Olivier

Apologies to those not receiving this message :)‏

Dearest,

¡No hay mucho tiempo para escribir email, siempre!

 

Sorry for the lack of time, as usual.

 

Wow upon wow this week was amazing.  I cannot even remember if I told you all that last Saturday, we had proselyting!!!!  Proselitismo was simply amazing and wonderful.  At first, I was scared to be sure, but not too badly.  Then Hermana Ríos gave us an incredible lesson and told us that God sent us to Argentina for a reason.  She exhorted us to make a covenant with God, and that if we do our best to talk to people, then He will guide us to those that He has prepared to meet with us.  She told us that we have friends from the premortal world waiting for us in Argentina, and that they need the gospel desperately.  I cannot recount everything she taught us, but the Spirit was very strong, and we all said individual kneeling prayers before heading out into the real world for the first time.

 

Elder Gebs and I were in a residential area.  In my estimation, it was definitely on the poor side of the spectrum -- I have never personally been to such a humble place before.  The language was definitely difficult, and some people were more understandable than others . . . but all was well.  The first man we talked to was very nice, but it did not really go anywhere.  The second man we talked to was a mad drunk . . . he mostly just lectured me for about 45 minutes or so . . . and I only understood a portion of what he said.  Mostly, he was drunk.  He started off praising our church because we show love rather than anger, so I was really excited!  But then he started saying that every church is true, and that God appeared to him on the street and called him to be a prophet or something.  Eventually, I just forcefully excused myself and he troubled us no more.  It was interesting, to be sure!!

 

It was somewhat difficult to approach strangers in a strange land and talk to them in a language I barely know, but wow!  I am grateful to have so many opportunities here to practice teaching and even proselyting so that I can learn more and improve.  I keep feeling that I could have done better on Saturday, but I feel like it was good for the first time . . .

 

I had one particularly powerful spiritual experience out there that I must share.  We saw two boys in front of their house doing some kind of chores and struck up a little conversation.  They probably thought it was strange, because we started asking about their beliefs in God and were using the formal "usted" form the whole time, because we are missionaries.  I asked if we could teach them a lesson in their house, and one of the boys went to get his mother.  I spoke with her right on the street for a good half hour, teaching her what I could about God and His love for us, and prayer.  She was receptive enough to stay there and listen.  When I introduced the Book of Mormon to her, I felt the Spirit in a very strong way that I have not quite experienced before.  When I asked her if she had heard of this book before, and she said no, my heart exploded.  Of course I have always known that many people know nothing of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but something just changed in me at that moment.  The Book of Mormon is SOOOO important to me!!!  I have learned so much about life and received so many answers to my questions by means of that book -- it has helped me so much to draw closer to God and to develop greater faith, leading to greater actions.  It has helped me to repent, and feel peace.  To think that people everywhere are trying to get through life without the help of the Book of Mormon is saddening to me . . . .  When I read to her some paragraphs from the introduction and testified of the truth and power of the book, I felt so strongly that she and her family NEEDED the Book of Mormon.  She accepted the book when I gave it to her, so that was good.  I could have done so much more, though.  Every day I think about what I could have done better, how I could have gotten more to the point, how I could have invited her to do more, and how I could have helped her feel the Spirit more.  I am a very imperfect servant of the Lord, but I am trying to get better.  Every day I have prayed that she will read the book, because I know how much it will improve the quality of her life.  You should pray for Griselda, too.

 

When proselyting, I occasionally had the terrible feeling of being just another salesman or evangelist of some kind . . .  I hope to find ways to show people that the church is far more than that, and that I am far more than that.  Our purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ, by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.  Our purpose is to love, to share God´s great love, and to help people feel peace in their lives.  I pray that I may become a more humble, more teachable, more effective servant of God.  It is hard for me!  It is hard to learn to teach the gospel effectively, in Spanish!  But I am loving it so much and I feel that I am learning a ton out here.  I hope that I can sow some seeds in this field that will one day ripen into better lives . . . . . . . . .

 

I wish I could tell you everything that happened this week, but I only have 4 minutes left in this room . . . .  Yesterday, our district had an English fast for the first time!  After dinner, it died.  Not me, though!  I only spoke about 20 English words yesterday!  The gift of tongues is so real, and I realized yesterday how much I really can communicate in Spanish already.  We even planned our lessons in Spanish only.  I am going to do it more often!

 

Aaaaauuggggghhh, there is so much more to tell you, my dear friends and family!  I love you.  Thank you so much for the messages and prayers.  Know that I am having the time of my life out here, and that I am eager to become a better missionary.

 

No photos today, sorry -- we are not allowed to take pictures except on every other Sunday, when people leave the CCM.

 

Much love, always,

--Elder Olivier

Um, was I not just doing this yesterday?!‏

Dear family and friends,

What a privilege it is to be here in the CCM de Argentina!!  ¡Yo soy misionero de la Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Últimos Días!  ¡Todo está bien, siempre!

This week has flown by so insanely quickly.  I am really enjoying every minute here.  The days are long, but the weeks are fast.  All of the elders and sisters that were here when we arrived have left for the mission field!!  Today we are receiving a new batch, both of latinoamericanos and norteamericanos, which is terribly exciting.  Last night, three new Latin elders arrived and we were talking to them before bed!  It is so cool when I feel like I am actually carrying on conversations in Spanish.  ¡El don de lenguas es real!

We have taught multiple lessons in Spanish, and we strive to constantly practice.  I just LOVE learning and speaking Spanish.  It is the coolest language.  Honestly, it is easier to learn than French, and the pronunciation is easier!  Castillarnos is the best.

Singing hymns in Spanish has been a wonderful spiritual experience.  On Sunday, we had a powerful testimony meeting.  It was amazing to see and hear so many testimonies of missionaries!  (our sunday meetings are always in english for the north americans).  We sang, "Para siempre Dios este con vos", and I felt the Spirit very strongly.  What a joy!  Andrew, you were right that it is an amazing spanish hymn!  (it is God Be with you till we meet again, but twenty three times better)

Dad, your message cracked me up so much.  I have been striving to be more exactly obedient here, because obedience brings blessings, but exact obedience brings miracles.  It is just small things that can make a difference in the Spirit felt, like planning until 9:30 every night, or eating only in the comador.  We taught Micol (Hna. Ríos) for the last time, which was bittersweet.  She shared the story of how she taught the real Micol on her mission, and it was so powerful.  She promised us that we are the Lord´s messengers, and that I can perform miracles as an instrument in the Lord´s hands.  What a privilege it is to be "a prisoner of Jesus Christ", as Paul often said.

Speaking of Paul, the greatest missionary ever, the scripture that I have adopted as the motto for my mission that I hope will appear on the little plaque thing is this:

2 Timothy 1:7 "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

Everyone must read that whole epistle which is brief and filled with power!!!!  I read it when I was sitting quietly in the Salt Lake airport, thinking about receiving the mantle of the mission.  I testify that the gift of the Holy Ghost is very real, and that by that great gift, we need not ever fear but must instead trust in the Lord and abandon our own understanding.

Ack, I run out of time now!!!

We have powerful lessons every day here, because the Spirit is remarkably strong and our teachers are very inspired wonderful people.  I have felt the Spirit in new ways out here and it is a great blessing!!!

Yo sé que Dios es nuestro Padre Celestial y Él nos ama mucho.  Yo sé que Jesucristo es nuestro Salvador, y testifico que la Expiación es real.

Much love,

Thanks so much for the letters,

Dad, the moleskine notebooks are the absolute best!!!!!!!!,

Thanks for the support and prayers,

MUCH love,

--Elder Olivier

Week One

Dear Family and Friends,

Oh dear, so much to say!  I am glad we are given an hour to spend on emails, because I need every second!  Thanks so much for all your messages.

 

First things first, I love the food here! :)  It's easy to eat too much -- I am spoiled by being fed a constant stream of good food.  We've had some interesting Argentine-style meats that were very delicious.

 

I LOVE my district!!  ¡El distrito Nefi es el mejor!  (on a side note, I also enjoy the fact that many words which have a "ph" in english have an "f" in spanish, like Nephi)  We all get along so well, and have immediately bonded and become the best of friends.  We spend much time together in class, actividad fisica, durante el desayuno, almuerzo, y la cena, ... we basically spend all day together.  It's great. 

 

I love my companion, Elder Gebs.  He is from Wyoming, and like most of the elders here, he just graduated high school.  He's a great guy and it's a pleasure to spend time with him.

 

I LOOOOVE my teachers!!!  The Nephi district really was meant to be together, and meant to be with these fantastic teachers.  First, we have Hermana Ríos.  She is the nicest person in the world.  Period.  I think she is from Bolivia, but she just finished serving a mission in Argentina about 8 weeks ago.  Her district-proclaimed catch phrase: "¿Listos? ¡Ya!" which means Ready, Go!  Oh yes, that brings up the point that almost every "y" and "ll" here makes a "sh" sound, and it is super beautiful.  We also have Hermano Pedersen, a super amazing missionary who served in Utah and is from Argentina.  He can teach with great intensity and power.  His district-proclaimed catch phrase: "¿Hay preguntas? ¿dudas?" which means Are there any questions? Doubts?  Although some people, until yesterday, thought that dudas was "dudes" -- So funny!

 

Even on . . . I think it was Friday, certainly on Saturday and on Monday and Tuesday, we have taught lessons in Spanish!!  So crazy.  Our teacher Hna. Ríos poses as real investigator Micol.  The gift of tongues is alive and well in the CCM.  All of us have made immense progress in just a short week.  I am loving spanish, even though I am sometimes frustrated because I cannot communicate what I want to -- now I have a great appreciation of how EASY it is to share the gospel in English!  All of you: share your beliefs in your native tongue!  You have no idea how easy it is!  I certainly didn't.  I love learning Spanish and I am slowly but surely increasing in my abilities to teach and talk.  Speaking with native speakers during mealtimes is very rewarding, and the fact that our teachers are native speakers is very helpful. 

 

The days here kinda fly by for me.  I have lots of fun each day.  The first day was a bit worrying, because I essentially lived two whole days in a row without sleeping, except for about 2 hours on the plane here.  However, God blesses His missionaries with every conceivable blessing here -- I have always had enough energy and strength to get through the day.

 

Thanks for the notebooks, mom and dad!  I use the moleskines to write down nuevos palabras y frases.  It´s awesome. 

 

yikes!!!!!! running out of time

 

funny moments and observations:

-when someone sneezes, you say "salud" which means health, and locals also say, when someone sneezes a second time, you say "dinero" which means money!!! :) so hilarious

-our bathroom has bidets in all the stalls??? weird . . . . .

-the kitchen and cleaning staff here are SO NICE and so patient. 

 

no time!

much love!!!

write me using Dear Elder .com !

 

Love,

Elder Olivier

Arrival in Argentina

Hopefully we'll get a report on the first week sometime tomorrow, but we were happy to get the following short email last week right after he arrived in Argentina:

Dear Mom and Dad,

I have arrived safe and sound in the CCM in Argentina!!!!  I just barely received my nametag -- legit!!  Being a missionary is already so awesome.

Now we have a full day ahead of us here at the CCM.  Sweet.

There are a group of about 30 of us all traveling together!  It is pretty awesome to have such a group all together.  One of the sisters was in my FHE group at BYU, so it is nice to see a familiar face.

On the ride to Atlanta, I sat next to a very friendly talkative woman who served a mission in Pennsylvania.  It was cool to talk to her, and I was able to share a message from the scriptures with her!  The ride to Argentina though, no such luck . . . .  

Well, I am not quite sure what to say.  I am excited to be here!  Do not fear for me! :)  The temple is very beautiful.  Oh - our p day is thursday here, we must let you know.  Hear from you soon!

Thanks for all the help.

Love,

Elder Olivier