a week of wandering

Dearest family and friends,

You are awesome, more than you know.  Never forget it! :)

Skype was wonderful last sunday!  Happy Mothers´ Day to all! :)  It was so cool to be able to talk to my family -- they are a fount of support and blessings and love.  It was also amazing to speak Spanish with Grandpa Fred!!! :)

So.  this week´s title comes from . . . our difficulties in our area!  We have not had much to do and we have been kinda wandering around trying to find random people (members, former investigators, less-active members).  We are both VERY excited for church tomorrow so we can finally get to know the ward for real and see all the members together.

Sunday we had lunch at the mission home with the Cooks!!  OH my gosh what a treat and surprise.  But we had to go to another church building because our meetinghouse was used for voting.  Quack.

Monday was super fun!  We went shopping in the morning to buy food for the zone conference on Tuesday.  Elder Burnett (the Burnetts are the incredible senior couple of our mission) took us in his car to Tienda Inglesa and from there we went to the mission home to cook with Hermana Burnett.  Sadly I didn´t get a picture with her, but I did get one with Hermana Cook who was kind enough to let us use the mission home´s dream kitchen -- she also helped us cook a bit and later made guacamole for us.  We made burritos -- they were SO good -- that´s something you don´t get to have in Uruguay!  YUM.  See the two photos. :) After the cooking, we went and had lunch with the Burnetts in their lovely apartment!  They are some of the most generous and loving people ever.  Then we went with Elder Burnett to look at a house for us to move in to -- it was kinda good, but dark and dank and a bit sad.  But thankfully he decided not to buy that one.  We have been looking for other houses in our area.

Tuesday -- the conference was lovely.  Interviews with President just always make me feel better and make me realize that I don´t have to be perfect and that my best try is all that is expected of me.  God´s grace is amazing.  Pte Cook told me that I can measure my progress as a missionary by my development of Christlike attributes and my desires to serve others and the love that I feel for others.  I loved that measure of progression!  I translated for Hna Cook when she talked one-on-one with several latino missionaries -- it was fun!  But I had to miss the workshop of one of the assistants.  

The rest of the week was kinda lame . . . but whatever!  We´re just doing the best we can and I´m sure we will be blessed by the Lord to see fruits over time.

We had an incredible spiritual experience yesterday by visiting an active member named José Luis.  He is quite old and appears to have suffered strokes or aphasia or something, because he can´t talk very well at all.  But he is an amazing man.  He is sooooooo happy and smiles a lot and he LOVES the missionaries.  He walks with a prosthetic leg.  The poor soul lives all alone in his little apartment.  We were chatting with him a bit, sang a song and said a prayer, and then he bore his testimony to us immediately and out of the blue.  It was one of the most powerful things I have ever experienced.  The Spirit hit all three of us and filled the room so sweetly.  All he could say was something like this: "Jesus Christ.  Wonderful.  Heal me paralysis.  Joseph Smith saw personages.  Thomas S Monson prophet.  Book of Mormon word of God."  I almost wept because the Spirit´s presence was so strong with his testimony!  I know that he has a perfect witness that Jesus is the Christ.  My companion and I immediately thought of the same scripture -- 3 Nephi 11.  We read the part where Jesus appears and bears testimony of who He is -- our great Redeemer.  I will never forget the incredible spiritual power and joy and peace that I felt in that little apartment with that humble man.  I too know that Jesus Christ lives and loves us.  His Atonement is real.  His grace is sufficient.  Praise the Lord!  Be of good cheer!!!

Well, my time is gone.  Here´s to another great week!

I love you all very much!

Elder Max Olivier

A week of little miracles

Dearest family and friends,

Yay for today!  Yay for the chance to live and grow and move and breathe and work!  Yay for a God who constantly watches over us and loves us and gives us life!

This was a great week.  I was kinda feeling tired and stressed because we have a ton going on, and I am getting a little tired from doing so much all the time, but my companion´s good humor and patience has helped me out a lot.  I am loving the work so much right now.  We are really blessed with a lot of investigators with a lot of potential right now!!!

On tuesday I had an intercambio with my zone leader Elder Mendenhall.  I learned from him to make friendship be almost the first priority in every contact, lesson, and interaction we have with people.  He is full of charisma and love, and a great teacher.  

We taught the restoration to a recent convert´s sister who is a firm catholic and it went really well -- she understood perfectly, but now it has been super hard to get another lesson with her.  We will see her this week, somehow!  

Right after, we had a great contact.  A little girl had previously told me and my companion to pass by her house because her sister wanted a Bible.  I went with Elder Mendenhall and we talked to the mom, Gladys.  She opened up to us and told her about her sad life story, her divorce, her depression, and her desire to come closer to God.  She accepted a Book of Mormon and a return visit, as well as a baptismal invitation.  When we went to visit her again, she wasn´t there, and the next day we found out that she had attempted suicide.  We should finally see her today.  I can´t believe how many people actually attempt suicide -- it is super sad. Thankfully Yanci seems to be doing a lot better now and she hasn´t attempted again.  We also have two other potential investigators who have attempted.  :(  These people need the light, hope, and happiness of the restored gospel now!

Elder Mendenhall stayed the night and he and I went to Montevideo the next day for the mission choir practice.  I think it went well -- it was actually really short!  It is not sure whether I will actually get to play the piano or if it will be the guy from the other mission, but if I don´t play I will sing, so I am happy and excited either way.  Tomorrow we will have the two-mission conference with Elder Oaks!!!  yay!!!  we´re going to estaca flores in the other mission, so that will be cool.

We have a lovely new investigator named Esperanza Ilusión (Hope Illusion) (!!) who is a super cute old grandma who lives with some family members.  Despite her considerable age, she understands the gospel very well.  She read 3 Nephi 11 in the Book of Mormon and had a great spiritual experience and understood the chapter perfectly.  She wants to be baptized.  She will come to church this sunday, but needs a ride to get there.  What a great person she is!!

On Thursday, I went to Pan de Azúcar to interview a baptismal candidate of the hermanas in the district.  wow!  What a spiritual experience!  When President Cook told me I would be a district leader in my interview with him a while ago, he commented to me that: Isn´t it amazing that all through the world, if someone wants to join the true church, they have to go through a young man of only 19 or 20 years of age?  This is a huge trust that the Lord has given to me.  I prepared as best as I could and memorized the questions.  I think the interview went well. I felt the Spirit of discernment powerfully and in a very different way.  I felt that she was prepared for baptism, despite not perfectly knowing or understanding everything (duh, no one will).  I could see a light in her eyes, and I could see her as a member of the church.  I could feel that she has repented and changed. She will be baptized this coming saturday!

Ana is doing really well!  The plan is to have her baptism this sunday after church!!!  I wish I had time to go into more detail on her.  She is such a wonderful and peculiar person!  I just love her to death.  She is kinda quirky and funny, but she understands the gospel and is reading the Book of Mormon.  I´m not sure if she has a testimony of the restoration yet, and we still need to teach her all of lesson 4 and 5 this week (!) but we plan to work hard with her and with the members so she can be ready for baptism this sunday.  She came to stake conference with us yesterday!!!  This Sunday will be her third time attending church.  She really wants to be baptized and wants to change her life, and she seems genuinely committed.  Pray for her a lot!! :)

Stake conference was lovely.  Our stake president is super amazing.  the choir sounded nice too! :)  I can´t wait for the conference with Elder Oaks tomorrow!!!

I love you all so much and thank you for your continual support,

--Elder Max Olivier

Hark, all ye nations!

Dearest family and friends,

Yikes, this keyboard is a disaster, so I don´t know how much I will be able to write! Sorry! ;)

YYAAAAAYYYY for general conference!!!  It was such a fantastic experience for me. It was my first conference in the field and my second conference as a missionary.  It is way better as a missionary, because I have actively prepared and anticipated the conference and attempted to savor every word during the conference.  I hope you were all able to seek personal revelation through this great opportunity.  

A personal insight I can share that I felt at the beginning of Elder Holland´s talk comforted me greatly.  I realized and felt that I can only do so much ... I have limits.  I can always do more to improve and serve, but really the Lord is doing everything and making all the difference.  It´s Him, not me! It´s okay -- I cannot do everything by myself.  He can.  As I act in faith with real intent, He will consecrate my effort and He will refuse to let His children fall -- His arms will lovingly save us and others through us, so we never have to fall beyond hope.  Love!!! :)

During Elder Nielson´s talk, I thought a lot about Luisa.  We haven´t really had contact with her, except a text message.  We might just have to wait until she and her family are truly ready to enter in at the waters of baptism.  I am going try to set up a lesson with her in the church this week, and send her little messages with scriptures to read.  But we can only try, pray, fast, hope, and wait. 

I also thought of Yanci during the conference.  We had a very good, spiritual lesson with her.  She is doing very poorly and is back in the hospital for depression.  In that lesson, we committed her to truly pray and to take her weaknesses to the Lord.  However, I still don´t know if she did it.  She no longer has a baptismal date. :(

We found and taught Sebastian!  He is super cool.  I may have made a grave error by giving him a baptismal date as a goal, because he is living with his girlfriend.  Pray for him!  He has troubles with drugs but wants to get out, and he believes in God and would like to be baptized.

Miracle!!!  We called Beatriz, a woman we contacted in her door who miraculously accepted a Book of Mormon and said she was searching for truth.  We haven´t been able to have a lesson -- that was like two or three weeks ago.  But I called her and she went to General Conference!  She said she has been thinking about baptism and has lots of questions about the Book of Mormon. We have a lesson on Tuesday!!!

Love you all so much!  No time left here. I hope you enjoy the photos of this beautiful country.

Love,

Elder Max Olivier

Come in, between. Drink a chair.

Dearest family and friends, hello!

This week was fantastic.  We had the oros conference with Elder Anderson´s group in Montevideo.  The hermanas viajantes taught us some awesome workshops, and we were also with Pte y Hna Cook.  We ate super well.  We learned a lot.  We had fun being with all the trainers and oros of this change.  It was a lovely experience.  Included is a picture of Tres Cruces, the giant bus terminal in Montevideo for travel throughout the country.  

Church was a miracle.  76 people showed up!!!  Usually there´s only about 52.  It is amazing to me how the Lord works.  We hardly do anything -- He directs this work, the grand work of salvation.  As full-time missionaries, we just be obedient, learn, study, and work as hard as we can to help others come unto Christ.  We are less than the dust, but in His hands, we can help others.  Often, He prepares people´s hearts without us even doing anything.  There´s a handful of less-active families who have started coming back to church -- we are going to help them return to full activity and build their faith.  But there is still LOTS of work to do.

On Saturday we had the most spiritual, beautiful, miraculous lesson of my mission so far.  We taught Louisa for the third time and we brought Hna Sanguinetti, who is less-active.  Louisa kept all her commitments.  She has been reading the Book of Mormon every day and night, and she has been offering personal prayers every night.  She told us that she never took interest in religion and never really believed in God, but then we appeared at her door and she received us.  After the first contact with her a couple weeks ago, we showed up late to our scheduled time with her because we actually found Melani and we were teaching her the first lesson.  Louisa had waited for us, but then left because we didn´t come.  We told her daughter we would come back.  Louisa has kept every single commitment.  Despite our weaknesses and our failures, and our más o menos lessons with her at times, she is feeling the Spirit.  She is being converted through the marvelous power and truth of the Book of Mormon.  Her family doesn´t want to learn anything right now, but they support her, at least.  She is SO FAITHFUL and is really a chosen person.  It was the most beautiful experience to hear her say that her life has changed already because of the Book of Mormon.  She came to church by herself on Sunday and seemed to enjoy it.  We will see her on Tuesday -- tomorrow!!  Pray for her.  She is amazing.  She has a baptismal date right now, but will need to get married to achieve it, and she doesn´t know that yet . . . . . so we still have a lot of work to do.  But yay!!!

The rest still haven´t kept commitments or we haven´t been able to find them.  Entonces . . . claro.  Así es.  Pero ta.  :)

Love you all so much!  Have to go!  Bye!

--Elder Max Olivier

ummmm did another week really just pass by? :)‏

Hello dear family and friends!

This week was interesting.  It was a bit patience-trying, to be honest, and yet it flew by insanely quickly.  I think it´s because I am often at a bit of a loss of what to do, as far as planning goes -- our few firm investigators are so hard to get a hold of that they almost never answer the phone or respond to messages or receive us in their houses, and they have canceled whatever firm lessons we had scheduled.  It is disappointing, but I am doing the best I can and seeking the Spirit´s guidance every day, and I know that I am still learning, so I feel okay.

We had an amazing first lesson with Melani, who we contacted in the street with her boyfriend.  They were super nice people who stopped to listen and were very kind with my companion´s slow spanish.  They both showed interest and accepted baptismal dates.  This was about two weeks ago, but only in this last week were we finally able to have our first lesson with Melani.  It went very well and the Spirit was very present.  She told us that she struggles with depression and bipolar disorder and that she is also entangled in drugs right now, and that she wants to find the way out and wants to feel like God is actually helping her.  We taught her the message of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and gave her the Book of Mormon.  It was so wonderful to be able to teach according to her need and testify of God´s love and hand, and how we can receive His help through the Book of Mormon.  We read from Alma 7 about Jesus Christ´s Atonement -- His part, and our part, or what we need to do to apply it.  She committed to read and pray -- we left her with 2 Nephi 2 to read.  She also said that she would love to be baptized and that she would love to receive answers from God.  The frustrating part is that she canceled on us for our next lesson two days later, and we haven´t seen her since, despite calling, sending messages, and passing by her house.  I pray for her every day, because I know that she has desires to change and improve her life, and I know that learning and living the restored gospel of Jesus Christ will enable her to do that.  I ask that you pray for her also!

Our other firm investigator Iris and her niece Karen have also been nearly impossible to get a hold of, and although we fixed a lesson with her and a member yesterday, when we came by they were in a birthday party and told us to come back later.  Ugh!  Iris told us that her daughters talked her out of going to church last week, and she didn´t want contention so she didn´t go. But she still seems  interested, and said that she read a few things in the Book of Mormon but didn´t remember anything, although she did like it and felt good about it.  She´s such a funny old grandma -- I wish her large loud family were more open to being taught as well.

Once again, no one committed to go to church during the week.  We also had a good first lesson with Louisa -- she was a contact from knocking doors.  She actually keeps her commitments to have lessons!  That lesson was . . . hard.  My poor companion broke down into frustrated tears when I gave him room to speak because he didn´t know what to say nor how to say it.  I felt so bad.  Louisa was so kind and understanding.  I didn´t really know what to do . . . but I finished teaching the lesson (which went poorly) and we set up a time to come back this week.  I felt responsible at first for my companion´s suffering.  Now, I think it´s not my fault.  I wish I could be a better trainer and teach him better, but all I can do is continue to give my very best effort and constantly seek and follow the Holy Spirit.  It did feel good to comfort him and teach him afterwards about how I have learned to be more patient and charitable with myself in the mission.  He is a bit of a perfectionist as well.  Pray for Elder Anderson!

We had a very interesting experience this week with recent convert Angela.  She was baptized by Elder Oliver at the end of December.  She is the most faithful person I know, I´m pretty sure.  The way she 100% accepted and immediately lived the restored gospel is astounding.  She is a single mom and grandma right now and has many health problems and basically no support from her family, but her faith in Jesus Christ is basically unshakable.  When we were in a lesson, she sent a message canceling our appointment with her and saying that she wasn´t going to go to church anymore.  This shocked me, coming from the woman who, despite her physical pains and difficulties, bikes to church by herself every sunday.  It was alarming!  Then she called a bit later to make sure we knew that she was still going to read her scriptures and everything, but that she wasn´t going to church and she didn´t want us to come over.  I explained that we would still love to come over even if she didn´t go to church, and that our priority is to make sure that she is well, spiritually.  She accepted.  In her house that day, she ended up letting us know that she learned in church through a class that she, without previously realizing or understanding it, was breaking a commandment, and for that could not take the sacrament last week.  She talked to the branch president and everything.  She felt so horrible and remorseful for her sins -- she is really a converted person.  She demands a lot of herself.  We were able to read the scriptures together.  I had recently studied 3 Nephi 18, and we studied the Savior´s own words about the sacrament and repentance.  It was a very spiritual experience -- I felt like an instrument in God´s hands.  She committed to keep going to church every week -- her repentance was strong and immediate, and will continue with time.

There´s a lot more I want to relate .  . . .  but I have already gone into depth on a few of the highlights of this week.  Now I shall read your lovely letters!  I have talked too much!  That´s something I have to work on -- sometimes when people actually listen to us, I get overexcited and talk and teach too much.  I just love teaching the gospel -- but then I get tangled in too many words and talking too much.  This is a dispensation of preaching repentance, and not many words, as the Lord said in the Doctrine and Covenants.  I am working to be more efficient with time and words, more simple, more clear, and more focused on the Spirit.  I ask for your continued support in prayer.

I love you all so much and give you many thanks!!!

A large hug,

Elder Olivier

pictures: the house!

and . . . me, always ready to study! ;)

Oh, how I love the Book of Mormon!!!‏

Dearest family and friends,

I know I promised details to mom and dad about inviting people to be baptized in the first contact . . . but we´ll see if I have time for that . . . :)

First of all, Gladys Tomé is doing well!  She came to church with us again on Sunday and immediately asked afterwards when we were going back!  She could conceivably be baptized this saturday, but we want to make sure she is really ready and that she has someone to go to church with every week.  Her parents are very supportive, but have not gone to church . . . also, Luis seems to be losing interest . . . we haven´t been able to get a hold of him -- he won´t answer his phone and usually isn´t at the house anymore.  However, I have hope!  It is a struggle to teach the Tomé family -- their house is pure chaos.  We usually have ended up just trying to teach Gladys alone while the rest of the family is doing whatever so we can focus a bit more -- although she doesn´t focus very well . . . but we will figure it out!  Her siblings are great -- we need to help them come to church.

Last Tuesday (I think) we had a super cool experience!  It was morning, (which is always a difficult time to work in Uruguay) and we had basically no good plans.  We started to contact a guy on the street and we asked him for references, and he told us to go visit a nearby house.  We knocked, and Teodoro answered.  He chatted for a bit and then immediately invited us inside to get out of the sun.  He is the most well-educated, interesting, well-traveled Uruguayo that I have met!  He has a whole bunch of books and loves reading, which is sadly VERY rare here.  One of his best friends is our YM president!  We were able to teach him about the Book of Mormon (woot! the best book you can read!), and I think he fell in love.  He ended up reading all of Moroni 10 out loud with us!!!  We felt the Spirit really strongly.  I am a huge fan of that chapter.  It is an incredible voice crying from the dust: "come unto Christ, and be perfected in him . . ." .  Just . . . WOW!  We really can become perfect if we follow Christ.  I know that is true.  We committed Teodoro to read, ponder, and pray about the Book of Mormon.  We weren´t able to fix another visit because he travels a lot, but we have his number and know where he lives. I plan to visit him this week.  He is very intellectual and calls himself primarily a follower of Descartes (awesome) and doesn´t have interest in churches, but I know that the Book of Mormon will change his life and help him come unto Christ by receiving the restored gospel.

Yesterday, we had another super cool experience with the Book of Mormon!  A few days ago, the Spirit told me to go knock on a door, and the coolest lady ever greeted us as we were about to leave her doorstep -- Blanca is her name.  She is the most exuberant, happy, smiling person I have ever met!  She is a devout reader of the Bible and believer in God and a really great person.  She presently belongs to a questionable church called Dios es Amor, known for extorting money of its followers.  It is quite prevalent here in South America, or at least in Argentina and Uruguay.  But we gave her a folleto about the restoration (I think) and challenged her to read, pray, and have another visit with us.  The missionaries visited her and her husband years ago, and they have a Book of Mormon but have never read it.  

So yesterday, we went to her house because we had set an appointment.  Blanca wasn´t there, but her husband Domingo was waiting for us. (!!!)  This was amazing for several reasons: 1) Basically nobody keeps their commitments -- the great majority of people who accept another visit in a street contact or a door contact do not keep that commitment.  2) They are actually MARRIED!  3) Domingo is a super nice guy, a sincere believer in God, and open to listen and talk civilly, unlike many people who judge and label and reject us before even opening their ears.

So, YAY!!!  We were able to explain the Book of Mormon, correct the common misconception that it was written by the prophet Joseph Smith, and read Moroni 10:3-5 together.  Domingo showed interest, listened sincerely and attentively, and committed to read and pray about Moroni 10.  We go back to teach them both this week.  What a fantastic couple and a lovely miracle that the Lord gave us!!!  

I absolutely love teaching about, presenting, reading from, and testifying about the Book of Mormon!  (for me, now, El Libro de Mormón!).  This book has changed my life and continues to change me every day.  I have learned recently the great importance of sincerely seeking truth through personal revelation -- that is so amazing to me.  The Spirit can speak to us and give us our own personal REVELATIONS through the Book of Mormon if we ask, seek, and knock.  Wow.  I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God, that it is true, and that it is the most correct book on the earth, and that by reading it we come closer to God.  I know Joseph Smith translated the book by the power and design of God.  I am so grateful to have this treasure in my life and to be able to share it so frequently and directly as a missionary!

Well, I have a lot more to tell you all, but my time escapes me now.  

Oh yeah -- I´m TRAINING AGAIN!!!  Elder Oliver is leaving as a zone leader, and I will be able to train these next two changes!  I thought this might happen since my trainee left.  I will miss my companion very much.  We have really been an ideal companionship, because we get along easily, we are friends, and above all we have the same goals and desires to work, improve, and invite all to come unto Christ.

I love you all so very much!  Fortify your faith TODAY in the Book of Mormon!  Read, ponder, and ask God if it is true!  Seek personal revelation!

--Elder Max Olivier

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

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