September 26, 2015 Chau Patagonia, Alo Francke

Note from Mom: the letter from July 20 tells about how the stray husky dog saved her life.  Then the Aug 3 letter says the dog got kicked by a cow, and she hasn't seen him since.  Now, for "the rest of the story". . .

Dear Family,

I left Patagonia very content. When I first got to that sector, I missed the people from Valdivia very much. And then I fell in love with Patagonia and passed nearly 5 months there. At the beginning of this cambio, the reality hit me that I would one day have to leave that area and a huge fear seeped into my heart that I would be leaving at the end of that cambio. The way that I left Valdivia was just crazy and I didn't even end up saying bye to my dear Hermana Oross because everything was so balistically rushed and unexpected up until the very moment I got on that bus to Puerto Montt. Well, it was a stressful feeling because I absolutely hate saying goodbye to people and it was getting in the way of my work ethic for a few days so I decided to just ''make a deal'' I guess you could say, with Heavenly Father. I decided I would work work work and do my best to do what He expected from me there in that sector if he prepared my cambio in the manner that I would leave feeling at peace and content with my time that came to a close. And you know what, I didn't forget about that promise the rest of the month. I was nervous to leave, and by the time I already knew on Monday, I was nervous to go see people because I didn't want to be sad or focus my time with the people we visit on the fact that I was leaving, I wanted to teach. So we decided to do just that. I almost finished packing on Monday night and Tuesday we worked all day. The plans we had put didn't end up happening because those we planned for weren't around and so we decided to pray and go by the Spirit. I am amazed at the love Heavenly Father showed me. On Tuesday, I couldn't believe it, He lined up everything, or I guess you could say everyone, so perfectly for me to feel purposeful on my last day. The houses we decided to go to were the precise moments and the lessons we taught were precisely needed. And I was able to say goodbye to quite a few people. We would leave a house and turn the corner just in time to ''randomly'' see an entire family in the street entering a negocio, and then go to another house right when the person arrived or find someone right in time before they left to work. I can't really explain it, but it was pretty miraculous the way everything worked out. I would love to tell you about ALL of it, but I wouldn't even be able to do the experience justice because the way it worked out seemed as if Heavenly Father had it all lined up since the beginning. It felt great. And you know what! It wasn't just on Tuesday, it was up until the very last moment that I left. Do you want to know what happened the last moment I left?

So you know how I had told you I hadn't seen Wilson, my trusty Husky, since he got kicked by a cow and ran away? yeah, that was 2 months ago. Still every day I had the hope I would see him out on the Patagonian outskirts or that he'd suddenly be walking by my side like he used to for my first 2 and a half months... I didn't see him one single time more since that cow.. Let me tell you, I have a no doubt that Heavenly Father really does know our hearts and really is involved in the very details of our lives. I know because with something that could seem so unimportant as a stray dog in the end of the world, he knew I had a longing to see him again, my trusty dog that saved my life! I woke up on Wednesday morning and we didn't have leave Patagonia until 2. So we fixed up a few things in the house and left to get some visiting done. The whole morning I kept looking around as we walked from house to house. I knew it was my last chance to ever see Wilson...and to be honest part of me felt like he had died because dogs die here. We had some other miraculous in-the-nick-of-time visits that there isn't much room to tell and it was time to go back to the house to load up the suitcases and leave behind Patagonia. Let me tell you, on the way back guess who I saw at the corner on Pasaje Juan Ruiz Mancilla? 

WILSOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And what's even better, he recognized me. That was one of the most tender experiences I have ever had with an animal. He ran up to me with a limpy leg and jumped up on me. I couldn´t believe it. I just sometimes can't grasp how Heavenly Father makes things so great up until the little moments like these! I gave Wilson a good hug and we hung out for a little like we used to. He sure was happy. He was making strange whiny noises as if he was crying. My eyes got super teary and wow. I just love that dog. He followed me for a while more, but I left him there on that corner of the outskirts of Patagonia. What a treasure that experience was. I couldn't believe it. Still can't. 

But do you know what's even neater? That wasn't even the half of the tender mercy Heavenly Father showed me. AND even more, that wasn't even the greatest last moment experience, because believe it or not, it wasn't the last moment even though I had already got in the car to leave Patagonia. 

I didn't end up saying goodbye really a lot of people, but I was so content with those I was able to see before leaving that on the way to the airport I was filled with just plain happy feelings. There was one person, though that I just felt really bad not saying anything to. She was really special to me and I knew it was hard for her to see missionaries go without a goodbye. I felt a little bit of an empty spot in my happy feelings of leaving without having done anything to at least say a quick Chau! I was already on my way to the airport though and there wasn't anything I would be able to do on my part to send a goodbye to her. I felt bad and I decided to say a prayer that someway she would be able to know I was leaving and understand what she meant to me even though I wouldn't be able to tell her myself. And somehow Heavenly Father worked it all out that even after I went past security, I got a tap on the shoulder from that very same person. It was a great airport scene that could go in a movie. Apparently her second job that I didn't know about was in an airport shop and her usual night shift was ''coincidentally'' changed to the morning. We both marvelled at the way it all worked out and I said bye to her very content. 

I know that most missionaries get hardly any notice of time enough to work in their area more before leaving. And goodbyes don't really happen for them. So I am very thankful that I left with such a good feeling of yes, my work here is done and I'll see these people again even if I need to wait until we are in the presence of our Heavenly Father. To leave an area in the mission in a plane is not an experience that many missionaries get until the end. It was very special to be level with the clouds and look out in an aerial view to the world I had been working in for 5 months and realize everything I had gained from the work I had done. I never expected the mission to be so undescribable of the relationship you gain with other children of God all the while you are increasing your relationship with and gratitude for Him. 

Also I would just like to add the top-off of all the million top-offs happened after I already landed and arrived to the bus terminal in Puerto Montt when a very giddy gringa ran full speed across the terminal to meet me. Who could it be??? The one and only HERMANA OROSS!!!!! I always thought that moment would be lots of emotions...and it was, it just practically ended up being too many that I just got super quiet and kind of stunned haha. But after getting used to the fact that my trainer still exists and is real, we had a super awesome 20 minutes of cram-packed catch up and reminiscing of inside jokes! She told me all the news of our old sector in Valdivia and it was really neat to hear such great happy things with so many people. I told her about Punta Arenas and then we of course played our bag pipes for her new companion and many other things with lots of laughing. It was AWESOME! And it was a really great re-do of the last time we saw each other. 

 I don't know how to explain it but it was one of the weirdest things coming from the end of the world, a very isolated part of the mission where there are only 22 missionaries that don't vary very often, and come to the north where the rest of the mission exists. Seeing Hna Oross really was a very strange experience and I kind of just was quiet for a good 10 seconds because it is so weird to be in the actual mission! I felt a little like Tom Hanks when he finally came home after being stranded in that island for however long he was there and saw his wife. hahaha I feel like I relate myself to Tom Hanks a little too much. I don't know why. I don't even like him. It just happens. 

Well, let me tell you, it is a strange change to come from the far away of everything to literally the center of everything! I am here in Osorno and I am companions with the mission nurse so we have made quite a few trips to the mission office, the center of everything. We get to know practically all the missionaries and it's very interesting to hear the whatabouts of the missionaries. She is a very good nurse. She's been a nurse for 3 months and has made a lot of changes to the schedule of the sureses. She said it was hard coming from being a normal missionary to becoming a nurse missionary that had no time to actually work in her own sector. So she organized everything super well so that she could be a  ''normal missionary with an abnormal assignment.'' And wow, she is a stellar missionary . I really admire her. We have been working very hard these past few days and I absolutely love being with her! She is very good at using every single moment efficiently and we get a lot done in the less time we have. She's a very hard worker and very dedicated. I am going to learn a lot from her.  

We get along great! And we are going to get a lot done while we are together. I have met a few of the people here in the ward and all the members really understand the purpose of the missionaries. They are all very focused and helpful. I love this ward already!

Also we have a house! It smells like Grandma and Grandpa Broomhead's house and the kitchen smells like their trailer. And I like it a lot because I just always feel in a good mood. Osorno is a lot like Washington. It's strange being in just a different climate. The air feels ....gentle and I have a lot of warmth without needing to bundle up. It's funny though because everyone else is really bundled up while I feel like I'm living in paradise. We are entering into spring so it's very green and very beautiful. Also everyone here uses combustiones to heat their house (fire place things) so all the streets smells like camping. I like it. 

Well there are so many more things I can tell you... but I need to stop because I am just emptying my brain here and I should be ending this pretty soon. I really just feel very very good here. I can feel that this is where I need to be. I am going to learn a lot here. I am so excited to work in Francke! 

Ok. One more thing,

I was reading in Alma 52 the other day, It's about the contentions between the Nephites and Lamanites and well in the beginning of this chapter this studly man Teancum kills Amalickiah, the Lamanite king and so then it says that the next day the Lamanites saw this, ''and they also saw that Teancum was ready to give them battle on that day, And now, when the Lamanites saw this they were afrighted; and they abandoned their design in marching into the land northward, and retreated with all their army...'' When I was reading this, I applied it to me by thinking, wow, wouldn't it be neat to be so prepared that an entire army retreats from fear? I like to look at it as being so prepared and founded in the gospel that the entire adversary and Satan himself have fear of enfronting us and abandon their purpose to attack. Here in the mission there is a motivational wake-up saying that goes a little like, ''Be the missionary that when you wake up in the morning, Satan says, ''Darn it, he's awake!'' Something like that. Yeah, well isn't that cool? As missionaries we are promised protection if we are obedient. And I hadn't really thought about that much, but it really is more than a protection from physical peligros, it is a divine spiritual protection from the attack of the adversary. The story of Teancum made me thing of the scripture in D and C 38:30, ''if ye are prepared ye shall not fear.'' The protection that he as well as all the Nephites received wasn't just a plain miracle (although that happens too), his protection was his preparation. 

Protection=Preparation

It's super. I don't know if that connected at all, but I thought I'd share because I liked it, and the gospel rocks. 

So this being our day of preparation, we have prepared ourselves so well that when we open the door in a few minutes to leave, Satan and all his armies are going to flee from Francke and we are going to get a lot of work done! 

I love you so much family! I hope you all enjoy General Conference! This is going to be a great one! Tomorrow we have church with Elder Ferriera, a seventy. I am very excited. 

I guess that's ''all''. Thanks for making it to the end of this letter.... :) 

Love, 

Hermana Olson

P.S. So my new P-day is Saturday, but I will be able to read my emails this Monday if you all still want me to read something about your lives :) (I would love to hear it!) And I also have organized the way I use my time at night a lot better. So be counting on some replies this coming P-day. Thank you for your quick notes you sent to me. I loved hearing the whatabouts of your day! Tell me more if you'd like. 

P.P.S. Oh my P-days are on Saturdays all BUT THIS coming week. We have general conference so I will be having P-day on the following Monday. THEN I will go back to normal and have it on Saturdays. 

P.P.P.S. I love you. 

Hermana Olson

September 15, 2015 Living a Dream

OH WOW!

Well I just sat down and thought okay so what should I say to my family today? And I thought about the things that happened in the week and OH WOW! There is no way I could tell you about all of it! But....well it's me so I'm going to still try to get in maybe a 10th percent of everything. muhahaha Here I go.

Tuesday was pretty normal GREAT day in the mission. We met some cool people in the street including this guy named Ronald that...okay well he seemed a little like a snakish flirt dude, but he was apparently interested in our message so we gave him our number because he ''didn't have his memorized.'' and we also found a less active named Isabel that had moved and hadn't gone to church for the past 2 years because she was a recent convert and didn't understand that there was somewhere else she could go. She invited us in her little cabaña and we taught her and sang her a hymn and with tears in her eyes she said, ''I feel rescued. Thank you for finding me.'' That was special. She's came to church with her little 3 year old boy. Yes! New person that I love!

Wednesday we had a zone meeting in Austral, the tippy top of Punta Arenas AND later Hermana Maready and I went to Parcelas (the country part of our sector that is like an undiscovered, ungospelspread GINORMOUS spread out area after going up a giant hill) ...and we only ate lunch with an hermana from the ward. BUT we have some pretty awesome plans to return this week and trek those hills and meet some great people just waiting for the gospel. :) OH AND Javiera was baptized!!!! It was just a great night. We went over to her house a little before to help her get ready and go over to the church all together. Her sister came down from the tippy north of Chile too and it all felt a little like getting ready for a wedding (Shout out to Sara! My future sister!) Ooh! It was so fun, but it was all crazy rushed as always because we got there at 6:15 and left at 6:25 to get to the church at 6:30. And okay none of that really matters. Too many details. My favorite part of it all was simply watching Javiera glow and just feel happy. Right before going into the font she just burst into tears and nearly couldn't control herself. She was taking a few minutes because she didn't want to go in with tears all over her face, so a few of her friends from young women’s came in and saw she was crying and said, ''It's okay you can do it!'' then she looked at them and said, ''I’m not scared! I am too happy. I don't know how to handle it! Let’s just say a prayer.'' So we said a prayer and then she got baptized. Right as she was coming back into the bathroom she looked at us just glowing with the biggest smile ever and said, ''When I was baptized I felt a happiness that I had never felt before. It's as if something arrived at me!'' That probably sounds better in Spanish.. whatever. And I loved it. She was so happy! And still is! It was just a great experience full of joy. And she also invited her uncle who isn't a member and her best friend and her mom. And guess what! We are teaching them now! Javiera is SO AWESOME!

Thursday we went to a wedding in Austral, the tippy top of Punta Arenas, because Hermana Maready was asked to play the piano. It was interesting and fun. They had to recite their RUT which is basically like a social security number or something. And the ''I do'' is ''Sì, quiero.'' which is funny in the direct translation because it's like, Yes, I want. Teehee. Anyway it was cool to be there. They are getting sealed in a year. :) There was a REALLY tall blonde compadre there that was definitely gringo. So we talked to him. His name is Benjamin and he is an English teacher in the high school nearby. So we talked to him for a while about what we are doing here and then when we asked if we could pass by and visit him one day he said, “What?” and asked us in English. And we said it again and then he said, .. “Wait can you just talk in English, I honestly don't know very much Spanish.” And so we asked him in English and he was like, ''OH. NAAAAAAAH....I'm not into THAT.'' hahahaha it was actually a great reject and made me laugh a lot. It's been time since I've heard naaaah. hahaha But anyway that was fun. We ate lots of food and then went to a devotional from Presidente Obeso!! It was about the Book of Mormon and it was amazing.

So just to mention. Presidente came!

Friday he came to our house! We made him banana bread. So he, super content, sat down and said, ''Alright, Hermana Obeso is going to inspect the house, the zone leaders will inspect your carpeta, and I will inspect this bread.'' And he did. He says he loves gringo girls because they always know how to make yummy things. It was really neat having him in our house. He is just a great president. We also had interviews on our beds hahaha just like the interviews with Dad. It was great. Oh! Also we got a surprise inspection of our feet! I was so glad they didn't do that in the winter when they were purple! And actually Hermana Obeso was quite impressed. She commented on my toenails and said, you don't get ingrown toenails, do you? And then I realized I haven't gotten an ingrown toenail in my entire mission!!!!! WHAT?! And she told me why, take out your notebooks! It's because I clip my toenails in a square form not round. And it works!! Alrighty onto other and more important things.

Saturday we participated in the world wide helping hands service project and our stake went to Andino!!! But this time there wasn't snow. The wind was CRAZY THOUGH! so that made for some fun picking up trash time. Pretty intense. The two rules were:

1. Don't pick up the roof tiles so no one's head gets chopped off.

2. Don't pick up the dead dogs.

Sweet!

Yeah so it was the greatest and ultimate trash picking up ever! You know that myth that if you dig long enough and deep enough you get to china? Well, yeah that has nothing to do with anything but I'm pretty sure that there all the trash that everyone throws in any part of the world all gets warped up into the black hole of daisies and junk and all flies into the vortex of Magallanical wind and ends up here in Punta Arenas. It's crazy the amount of trash there is. And on Saturday I finally got to pick it up!

We also got a call from this Ronald guy we mentioned earlier... He was asking us if we were still coming at 5 like we said we would. And we said yeah, we would be there in 20 minutes. He said, ''Okay I just got back so I'll take a shower really quick and be ready for when you guys come. Besitos. Chau.'' ...and we didn't want to go, but we said we would so we called up a grandma from our ward and she came with us! Booyah! hahahah when he opened the door he had his hair all swooped fancy and had the boombox going with some suave party music... hahahaha Well, we entered, sat down, and got to the nitty gritty of it. I asked him if we could turn off the music, we explained who we are, our purpose, and asked if we could say a prayer. We said a prayer, taught him the gospel of Jesus Christ, had a very spiritual lesson, and invited him to be baptized. And he's really excited! He said he was waiting for this without even knowing it and he had no idea there was something so eliviating. So he is preparing for the 17th of October :). We have a cita with him today. I'm so excited. I love finding people that are ready now! And that wasn't even expected. I love being a missionary SO! MUCH!

Sunday was another beautiful Sunday and there was snow! There ALWAYS is snow on Sunday! It's awesome. But we had a very strange 4 seasons in one day thing. That's pretty common here. Also! We FINALLY beat our goal of 105 people assisting to church by 2 people! YESSS!!!! Talk about an awesome ward that knows how to work on retention! The average is 85 people and little by little we have been increasing the assistance every week since I've been here. And it was so cool to see so many people in the church! I love being a missionary!!!!

Alrighty then. Yesterday I completed 8 MONTHS in the mission and WE WENT TO THE EIGHTH WONDER OF THE WORLD. (talk about best celebration in the universe) I don't even know how to describe this. The experience definition of unbelievable or unforgettable or UNREAL BUT IT'S REAL is Torres del Paine. I'm not kidding. I feel like the rest of this world is so frumpy. hahaha just kidding it's beautiful, but it was like I was Blue's Clues and had a magical mono power to hop into paintings and walk around. BUT I HAVEN'T EVEN SEEN A PAINTING THIS BREATHTAKING! I don't know how this exists and I don't know how I hadn't ever even heard about an 8th wonder of the world that is in the bottom of the world. I woke up this morning and was in shock that I went there. I don't even know how to describe it.

It's so unique. And so ...secretive. I don't know! I felt like we were the only people there! And it was HUGE and somehow we did nearly everything! We started at 5 in the morning and ended at 11 pm. Talk about weird with not working for a day. Seriously weird. There were some hour long hikes some 30 minute sitting and just marveling at the stuff. Some encounters with Magallanical ostriches and llamas. Sheep hearding. Cave spelunking. Walking on the shore of glacier water. OOOOH JUST SO MUCH! And the greatest part of it all is I went with a very low charged camera and it died half way through ahahahaha!! But it's alright. I was very content with the day. It was like timed stopped and I was in a dream I never even dreamed of.

And this week is going to be great! Thank you for writing me! I'm glad you all passed well your birthdays!!!! I love you! ..

I gotta send pics. I'll be sending a few every week of this place! The craziest part is that the pictures don't even do it justice!!! Oh WOW!

I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS WORLD.

Hermana Olson

September 8, 2015 Walk Like You are on a Mission

Oops I have 10 minutes before I have to go because we went to a giant cemetery, got lost inside of it because it's like the equivalent of that maze in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire shrubbery stuff that eats you. and now there is kind of no time. Lame. I'm sorry. 

Fam, 

I just want you all to know I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY! 

Yesterday in Relief Society, the president got up and asked us to think of all the possible future missionaries that are in our ward right now from the youth pool. Then she wrote all of their names on the board and said, ''These future missionaries are going to be missionaries.'' And then made them all aware that it is not easy to get out on the mission as far as money, or scared moms, or clothes or whatever it may be. Then they ALL figured out ways that they could contribute to these missionaries specifically! They were volunteering to sew skirts, give the tall kid the giant shoes-that-are-impossible-to-find-in-Smallfeetcountry that belonged to their fallecido (dead) husband and just so many things!  It was one of the coolest things I have ever witnessed because there are a lot of youth right now and about half of them really don't have the means to get out on the mission. HOWEVER, yesterday the Sociedad de Socorro de barrio Patagonia figured out the ways that we are going to get them all out on the mission. 

I know that as of right now I'm hanging solo on that board in the church. I also know that soon enough I'll have the privilege of hanging next to my big little brother, Ammon and later we'll be joined by Moises. Awesome! 3 missionaries out from Barrio Esplanade! 

But hey. Let's get serious here. It should be more! 3 out of those 12 future missionaries on that chalk board yesterday were baptized in the past year. I'm pretty sure there are a lot of other future missionaries coming from our ward pretty soon, but I can also feel pretty strongly that there are a lot more future missionaries that are not members of our ward .....YET. ;)

John, Daniel, Samuel, even Ammon, EACH OF YOU has at least one friend that can be a future missionary. Go figure out a way to get them on the mission. 

This week I learned a lot about the Atonement. Recently I have just been filled with a lot of doubt of if I was a good missionary. I just felt.....not good. I would work, work, work and feel good and then plop, for whatever reason that I couldn't figure out, I would feel not good. And a little terrible to be honest. Yeah weird. Well, finally this week I realized there were some things that I needed to change about my work and effort. I had gotten into a comfort zone of my work and effort and the all-my-might-and-heart that I was putting in before really wasn't as hard as it had been. I needed to push myself more than I had been because my all suddenly wasn't my all anymore and I needed to raise up the bar of my effort. Also I had just always looked at missionaries as perfect and they very well should be because they are representing Christ. But I am not perfect and I just kept messing up and feeling bad about messing up, whether it be not waking up on time or leaving the house a little late, or just plain not being perfect. And I felt stuck and just not worthy of being a missionary. That sounds harsh, but that's how I felt. Well I finally realized I CAN CHANGE! And so I did! Heavenly Father knows we aren't perfect. THAT is why we have the Gospel of Jesus Christ to get us to his presence where it is requisito que seamos puros. 

And guess what. IT'S TOTALLY DOABLE. Just repent every time you mess up which is a lot more common than you'd like to think and then just STOP doing whatever it is that you did.I also learned that to be worthy doesn't mean to be perfect.  Woo! Changing for the better, what hope from the atonement. 

And it makes you feel great. Yesterday we were almost going balistic (ooh dad's vocabulary) running here and there to different citas mientras trying to find as many new people we could that were ready and it was so tiring but sooooo awesome because I felt myself pushing me out of that dinky comfort zone. I felt like I was walking with a purpose. I was walking like I was on a mission. Because, ooh guess what, I am. And I love it. 

Heavenly Father also opened my eyes a little bit more yesterday when I was sitting in Sacrament meeting. There are fruits of work! When I got here there were 3 less actives coming to church and returning to be active. Yesterday I just barely realized we have 15 sitting in the church and re-experiencing being active in this perfect gospel! And one of those 15 people is Karen! And her daughter, Javiera, is getting baptized this Wednesday and I'M SO EXCITED. Ah! Wow! I love the work! It's the most rewarding joy you can feel to love someone or more than some one ''a..lot-one'' and see them come closer to Jesus Christ! I love it. 

Also fun quick Chilean Mormon fact: they talk very fast and understand how to share their testimony. This means that 22 people were able to share their testimony in the 40 minutes of sharing. It was awesome. 

Okay welp. I think I should go. happy labor day. How ironic a p-day to not labor... BUT NOW I LEAVE TO LABOR IN THE VINEYARD OF THE LORD

Love, 

Hermana Olson

P.S. The wind is crazy here and living in the third piso of an apartment means lots and lots of loud sound all the time. The other day Hna. Maready and I realized that maybe it isn't normal in the north of the world to have to talk under a slight yell during companionship study. 

P.P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO HALF OF MY FAMILY! How does that happen? hahahahaha 

Happy Birthday Nicole. I love you! 

Happy Birthday Samuel. I love you! 

Happy Birthday Daniel. I love you! 

Happy Birthday Ammon. I love you! 

Happy Birthday Jarom. I love you! 

Unhappy birthday Daniel. that was a silly joke that was funny. But I love you anyway. Igual para todos ustedes mas en mi familia genial! 

MUAH CHAU! 

P.P.P.S. Oh also I will be writing you all next Tuesday because on Monday we are going to Torres De Paine y no alcanzaremos escribir en lunes. I LOVE YOU TELL ME ABOUT YOUR LIVES! 

Seth and mom thank you for writing me. 

I ....didn't have time to respond. forgive me. 

Seth. Have a blast at BYU-i I loved your letter. 

Mom I love you. I hope no one dies so you don't have to make a million funeral potatoes. 

Okay bye now. Agh my brain is empty. 

pppppppppppS. Okay so I have fotos to send to yall but yeah. Next week. Don¡'t let me forget before they all delete themselves on a Chilean cyber computer.  

August 31, 2015 The Patagonian Time is NOW!

It's just another wonderful Monday in Patagonia! The sun is shining, the wind is blowing, the dogs are out, and I have thrown up 7 times! My companion and I both woke up at 3 a.m., sat up in our beds, asked each other if the both of us were feeling the same icky feeling, stared at each other for a good 3 seconds, then pathetically raced each other to the toilet. She beat me. Yeah...it's not so fun being the loser in a throw-up race. After that we took turns. Our bodies were on the exact same schedules! It was crazy. So needless to say that turned our fantastic weather p-day plans into a frumpy day. We stayed in the house all day..... And wow, how strange it is to be in a house for a whole day. But it was not just resting no no no. The leaders called us and said our houses were going to be inspected tomorrow so that they are ready for when president comes. HA! Our house is quite tidy, but let me tell you, it was in need of a deep cleaning. We discovered lots of fun mold and fungus on the walls and ooh it has been a good day scrubbing and running back and forth from the bathroom to throw up. Hermana Maready is a good hard worker and knows how to clean, so we got a lot done even amidst the nausea! And well this wonderful beautiful day of a toasty 40 degrees I guess was just not meant to be explored outside for us. We had a lot of awesome plans, but I'm counting our blessings because at least we only had to deal with sickyness on a P-day rather than having to miss out on the work! 

This week was a great one! I love being a missionary. 

I focused a lot on becoming more of a genuine disciple of Christ. I read an amazing chapter in ''Jesus the Christ'' called ''The cost of Discipleship.'' Something that got me good was when it explained how it is good common sense to count well the cost before someone enters upon a great-undertaking. It says, '' A man who wishes to build, say a tower or a house, tries to determine, before he begins the work, what the expense will be; otherwise he may be able to do no more than lay the foundation; then, not only will he find himself a loser, for the unfinished structure will be of no service, but people will laugh at his lack of prudent forethought.'' 

I have been here in Patagonia for 3 and a half months now. In this time I have really been putting in a lot of effort to take advantage of every moment. And these past 3 weeks or so, I have really been feeling like my time here with these people and this ward is running out. Naturally, it is. That's what time does. I feel like I, alongside my three companions, have managed to lay a foundation, but I am realizing that yes my time is running out and I don't have all of forever to make this tower! I have this subtle fear of being called to serve in another area more north in the south of Chile without feeling like I finished the tower I needed to build in the time Heavenly Father gave me. 

I considered the cost it has been this far, only to realize the real expense that I have left to put in! I need to change a lot more. Ah! It's just so overwhelming. I know that no matter how much I do, I will always need to do more. So I guess I'm thankful for the grace of Jesus Christ that fills in the gaps of the work I have done. I love my Savior. I am so thankful for these nearly 8 months he has given me to work in his Chilean vineyard. I stand all amazed at the love he offers me, each day that He lets me learn how to be better. I have a lot to do! I don't know how much more time I will be here, but I at least know for sure that I have today. And then tomorrow I'm pretty sure, so I'll have a today tomorrow too. And that's the time that I will use to put in the expense so that maybe I can leave with a Patagonian tower in my place. DyC seccion 4. I love that section. I had to memorize it in my mission prep class at BYU Idaho. I had that memorized before I started my mission, but now, already 8 months into my mission, I feel like I am just barely learning how to really apply it. 

I love being a missionary! 

This Friday our ward celebrated 17 year anniversary of Barrio Patagonia! It was supposed to start at 8:30, but naturally, began an hour later. And we had to be in the house by 10 so we only were there for the first 30 minutes of it all, it was enjoyable nonetheless! I love my ward! Apparently, everyone danced until 3 in the morning! hahaha! WHY IS CHILE CULTURE SO COOL?! hahaha 

I can't really think of much more to say even though there are just so many stories I could write your eyes off..... 

Oh a few days ago, I woke up really early in the morning in a huge major panic. I couldn't remember where I was or what I was doing or where I was but it lasted longer than one of those mini panic attacks you get when you wake up during a sleepover and don't recognized the wall. haha The worst (and I guess the funniest) part of it all was that I was most in panic because my thoughts were is Spanish and my English SUBsubconscious was asking WHY AM I SPEAKING SPANISH! And I will not lie to you, my thoughts literally said, ''¿Por qué estoy hablando Español?'' And then right after, HOW DO I KNOW SPANISH! And then little by little it all sunk in within probably 30 seconds (which was a pretty long time of freak out.). Oh, hey, look at that, you are in Chile, oh because you are a missionary! And hey, how cool is that you can speak in Spanish. And now you are missing out on your righteous sleeping time. 

So I went back to bed to finish the story and lived to tell it. 

I love you family! I hope you all have a fantastic week. I love hearing from you all so write me if you can on the Sunday nights of bliss! Best of luck in starting up school! Be smart! Stay righteous! Don't get married! ...unless you are Jacob and Sara :) 

Hermana Olson

August 24, 2015 Patagonia Punta Arenas

(She did it to me again.  Annamarie sent me photographs of 12 hand-written pages for me to transcribe to the computer.  At long last, here you go)

Okidoke.  First thing I want to say to you all is I miss country music.

Second thing I want to say is I woke up today feeling just GREAT.  Do you know that the mission is the most gratifying thing I have ever done?!  I just love it.  Also I was just so giddy, waking up and thinking about John’s pancake breakfast that he’s going to be eating in the shape of the whopping age of 15!  Woooop Wooooop!!!!! Aw.  How exciting.

                                               HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHNNY  PHI!=)

I also woke up to pitter patter pot rain drops on my window pane and that’s just the greatest sound you could wake up to. I LOVE IT! It’s been quite some time that I’ve woken up to calm rain, without wind, without ice-freeze bullets, without shards of snowflake demons, just simple pitter patter pot raindrops. We’ll see how long that lasts.

This week, I mean WOW, thinking about just the weather this past week, I realized how lotting much has happened just in THIS WEEK!  So it gently snowed on Monday. Tuesday was insane snow and wind storm.  Wednesday was an oddly warm, insulated winter wonderland and I didn’t need to wear 5 pairs of tights!  Just one.  So I also decided to wear my “Olive Oil” silly shoes that I haven’t worn since Valdivia.  That was fun =).  Thursday the wind came back from his 1 day vacation, and in quite a jiffy at his 130 km velocity!! . . I don’t know how fast that is in mph, and I haven’t tried doing algebra for it either. The last time I did algebra was when I was making brownies from English measuring instructions with Latin-American measuring system. =) But all that is beside the point.  The point is the wind was crazy fast. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday were actually quite swell. A good 10 degree sunny, clear days.

OH!  Did I tell you that the sun starts coming up around 9 now?! And it’s leaving after 7. Yeah, what a delight. The days are elongating even more every day. I love it.

So now that you got a page worth of the week’s weather, I’d like to tell you about the week’s experiences. . .but if I did that this notebook would run out of paper, and this pen would run out of ink. So, I’d like to tell you about Monica.  I don’t think I’ve mentioned her before.  She was baptized a little over a year ago but has been inactive for nearly that entire time.  She has two young kids that are very poorly behaved and she is embarrassed to take them to church.  She has an elder daughter who was baptized the same time as her, who has 17 years.  Her daughter is more active.  She goes to seminary every day and goes to church almost every week.  Her dad (Monica’s husband) is not very supportive in their decision to be members and isn’t very tolerant with us if we are there when he is. But we usually visit in the mornings. Well, we are very involved with Monica and her family and I have really come to love her immensely in these past 3 months that I have known her.  She always receives us in her home with such joy to have us, even though she used to be embarrassed of the humble circumstances they live in. This week we saw her in the street walking her 5 year old home from school and she told us to come visit the next day.  When we showed up, her husband came out and said, “Things are ugly,” and told us we could try to come back otro day.

We passed by two more times and she didn’t come out.  On Friday we passed by again and after a few “A-los” she opened the door.  Her face was the saddest I’ve ever seen.  I gave her a big long hug, and she just cried and cried.  When we sat down she told us that due to the actions of her husband (involved with drugs or something) and the “inadequate means of provisions” the child-care took away her 5 and 6 year old children.  And it was without warning or anything. And very sad the way it happened. Oh it is just so sad. She is allowed to see them twice a week and when she went her little boy had two swollen eyes from the other children he’s with bullying him.

They can’t come back until her husband isn’t living in the house and the house has better walls to have bedrooms or something.  And she just has almost no strength to figure it all out.  She was thrown into an even more humble circumstance and wow, it just doesn’t seem to make sense.  I understand now what it means to mourn with those that mourn and comfort those that stand in need of comfort. We asked her about her baptism, which made her start talking about the 2 missionary sisters that began her teaching.  She began smiling and laughing as she was telling us about her experiences with them.  I could tell she really loved them.  As she was talking to us she kept saying, “Oh I just need strength.  I need strength to endure this.”

As I was searching for ways or words that could comfort her, I decided to turn to a scripture in Doctrine and Covenants.  I opened up my book to the scripture and there was a letter sitting right there for Monica from those exact missionaries she had been talking about.  (I had had this letter for two weeks, and had forgotten where I had put it.) I picked up the note almost in unbelief of the mysteriousness of the ways of God and said, “They wrote you a letter.”

The joy that notably changed her countenance for me was mission-changing. Just to see the influence that two missionaries have for a convert touched my heart in a different way.  As she was laughing the joyful tears, she said, “This is the strength I needed.”

We invited her to go to church on Sunday so she could receive more and she said, “Well!  I don’t have my kids now, so I guess I don’t have an excuse anymore.  Right?”  And she laughed and said, “Yes, I need to go to church.”

We asked if we could sing a hymn and she chose “I’ll go where you want me to go.” 

Yesterday she came to church!  To see the support of the ward was very special for me.  Heavenly Father is so perfect.  Family, this church is true.  The Lord knows how to take care of his sheep.  And I love being part of this humbling work.

On the way home, I asked Monica how she’s been doing. She said, “I’m going, hermana.”  And she told me she went to the Ferria (like flea market/swap meet kind of thing) and took everything she could sell, so that she could have enough money to travel this week to see her kids in the child center place.  She told me about some of her observation there that a few people are pretty well-off, but there were a few people that you could tell have almost nothing.

Then she told me that a lady asked her how much her pot was.  Monica told her it was $1,000 (the equivalent of about $2 USA).  So the lady looked through all her pockets and realized she didn’t have enough and began to walk away, but Monica asked her what she had and she said $100 (equivalent of 25 cents).  And Monica gave it to her for 25 cents!

That is her only pot that she had.  And she practically gave it away for free because she said that she couldn’t not do it after seeing how excited that lady, who perhaps was in more need than her, was to receive that pot.

I love Monica.  I truly treasure her.  I can’t believe how submissive and patient she is to God’s will.  I know Heavenly Father has a great deal in store for her and her family for her diligence and faith she has shown Him.  I feel privileged to have been edified by her example.

This week we also set a date with Javiera for the 19^th of September.  Before we set the date, she had sat next to me on the couch, while my comp was in the bathroom, and gave me a big hug and said, “You’ll be here when I get baptized, right?”  And I said “Ojala!” which means sort of “I sure hope so.” 

It was really hard for her when Hna. Parkinson left and she doesn’t want me to go either.  I have been worried if she had been wanting to get baptized just because her “international friends” invited her to, or if she really had a desire to do so.

So I asked her “Why do you want to be baptized?”  And she said very sincerely something really sweet.  “Because when I’m sitting in the church, I feel complete and very special to my Heavenly Father.”

Yesterday we showed her the baptismal font and it was a very special experience for us all.

I really, really love Javiera.

And I guess that’s all I’ll share for now on this paper email. 

I just want all of you to know that I love being a missionary.  I stand all amazed at the life-changing experiences I somehow can experience each day.  They really happen every day.  My life is changing and I am learning so much. 

My advice to my little brothers: serve a mission.  And thank Heavenly Father for the immense incomprehensible blessing you have to be able to serve.  To know already that you can!  Thank your Heavenly Father for Mom and Dad and our grandparents.

Be thankful.

The mission is so great!  My companion is a doll.  Haha.  She sure is talkative.  Sometimes it’s just fun to imagine myself in some mission movie, walking all about doing mission stuff and she still goes at it!  Haha. Up the stairs, down the stairs, across the bridge, while waiting for someone to answer the door, going to the bathroom. TODO!  Haha.  It’s fun.  All the while I’m saying, “Mmhmm.”  “Oh!”  “Really?”  Haha. But I think my favorite thing of all of this is realizing that I was basically just as talkative before the mission.  I’ve fallen asleep a few times in bed while she’s been talking.  I feel bad because I didn’t realize until the next morning when she starts to continue the story in a part I don’t remember.  Haha.

And, well, it’s helped me realize something that I hadn’t noticed until now.  I’m not as talkative anymore!  Like I’m half as talkative as I was before and Wow!  I mean how cool!

I bet you guys don’t believe it because of the absurdity of the length of my letters, but it’s true!  Haha.

Okay another thing I just thought about:  One night we were walking down the street and I realized that the man who was walking towards us was the old bishop from our ward that Hna. Maready hadn’t met yet.  So when he reached us, I pretended he was any good old stranger and began talking to him about the church.  And he played along! And asked, “Oh!  Aren’t you guys the Jehovah Witnesses?” And I said, “YES!”  And we just talked and talked and my companion was very confused and a little worried.  Haha and then after about a good 3 minutes she stepped back a bit and then I said “Oh, and what is your name?” and he said, “Obispo Bravo,” who I had talked to her about before.  And we all laughed.

It was so fun!

I love mission pranks of spontaneity!

Poor Hna. Maready.

Okay.  That’s all for now folks!  I LOVE YOU!

Sending my love,

Hermana Olson

August 17, 2015 My Fingers Are Frozen

I just built a snowman on the beach that is practically neighbors with Antarctica. And I built it with my bare hands... which means this email is going to be a lot shorter than my constantly over-filled mind of thoughts would prefer because I can't do anything more than chicken plucking right now. Oh the pain! Oh well... it's a blessing for all of you because my email won't be monstrously as long. :) 

Turns out my new companion, Hermana Maready, was an answer to my prayers. She's a sweetheart and I love working with her. She has 4 months left in the mission. Apparently we met 5 years ago in OCMCO! She's from San Clemente and we know a lot of the same people from her stake. And she has music!!!!!!!!! WOW I can't believe how much I've missed music. I LOVE MUSIC! She also can play the piano and I laughed out loud in joy when she said that! Because I had decided literally one week before to pray to Heavenly Father specifically to send me someone that knew how to play piano because I was getting overwhelmed with playing in church and had been using a lot of the eensy extra time I had to practice for Sundays. The first Sunday after Hermana Parkinson left, we had sacrament meeting without accompaniment, and to put it nicely, a Chilean congregation singing a capella is the dainty sound of flats and sharps and different keys and some people singing 2 octaves lower haha....it's a little more overpowering than the spirit. haha Well after the meeting, Hermano Acevedo from the bishopric came up to me with a really desperate look in his eyes and asked, ''Hermana Olson, (sigh) do you know how to play the piano?'' And, I don't know how, but I said yes. And he called me as the accompanist. And somehow miracles happened and I have been playing the piano in Sacrament Meeting for the past month and a half. Well, now I am just happy because Hna. Maready is helping me solidify the circle of fifths and all that jazz so now it won't take me so long to read the hymns. And this week I just had to practice one hymn and Hna Maready played the rest. It was nice to just sit and sing in Sacrament Meeting for a few hymns :) 

Okay if you can tell, my hands have thawed a little bit! And I don't have much time left... 

I just want you all to know that I absolutely love serving a mission. The only way for me to describe it at this point is that it is an experience. I am learning so much. 

After what feels like years and years of work, we are not really searching for fruits because we can really see a whole tree full of them!!! Slow and steadily we have been able to get 13 different families in enseñanza or ...um families being taught right now! It's amazing!!!!! And all of them are progressing! And I love being a missionary. 

Today at 7:12 a.m. our dear Hermana Karen (a less active that after 13 years, just barely returned to the church) called us to let us know that Javiera, her daughter, our investigator that Hna Parkinson and I started teaching 3 months ago, received permission from her dad to be baptized just 10 minutes before!!!! I don't have time to really explain all the background of everything, but it was a miracle what happened. And a tender experience to hear Karen's pure joy while she talked to us on the phone. The mission is amazing. 

Okay well... my time is sadly running out. Wow there is just so much to say. This week was great. As always. I love being a missionary. I love Chile and I love the people I know here in Patagonia. And the gospel! I can't even tell you how amazing the gospel is. Go open your scriptures, say a prayer, and smile and then you will understand a little bit of how I am feeling! haha 

I love you family! I really love hearing about everything that is going on! I love you all so much. You are all in my prayers. 

Next week I'll make sure my hands are moveable when I come to write. 

Chauito! 

Hermana Olson