April 11 2016 It's All Just a Wave of Motion

Hey family! 

Well, there are a bazillion things I could tell you as always. This morning I was looking through my journal to make a few bullet points of the happenings of the week for to tell you. And well, I was pleasantly surprised to read a short entry that I apparently wrote very exhausted because I don't even remember writing it! It captures the week pretty well, so I just opted out of the bullet points and decided to send you this instead:

''Jueves, 7 abril 2016

Okay so today passed by very fast and also very slow. I feel like we did nothing, but we did more than I can fit in this tired brain of mine. This day seems like it started a year ago, but I can't believe it's already over! We were so tired and exhausted, but we had so much ánimo!! 

And well it all ended watching a caterpillar crawl. 

It's like a wave of motion. 

Then he threw up on me. It was like acid. So I threw him at the nearby sapling. 

And now I'm still tired and want to sleep so I'm not tempted to eat peanuts.''

And there you have it: a day in the work, or a week in the work, or a year and 3 months in the work. 

The time passes so slowly but it is passing faster than ever. We are so calm though. We feel great and we are absolutely loving the work! We worked harder than ever and it was such a satisfying exhaustion. On Saturday night we realized that we hadn't accomplished very much as far as the numbers, and that none of the people we had found this week nor the others we had visited would be able to go to church. We stopped by an investigator in the morning, and she didn't answer, so we got to church just in time for the reunion to start. As we walked in we noticed some 'unfamiliar'-familiar faces and counted 14 investigadores, conversos recientes, and menos activos that had come to church, and the majority of them we hadn't even been able to visit this week! I don't know if this was said in General Conference or anything, but what kept hitting my mind was this statement; ''The beauty of the gospel is that Heavenly Father still blesses us even when we don't achieve all that we would've wanted.'' I feel like that was said in General Conference. I don't remember. I didn't watch it in English. But either way, it's the Spirit because it's true! It's not profound or anything, but it's true. 

We just have to do our best and then a little more and Heavenly Father blesses us. This week we got the lowest numbers I've ever had in my entire mission. But I feel great! Because I know we are doing what needs to be done and there is so much visible success yet on its way!

My companion is already on her last week! Her whole body aches and sometimes we walk with our eyes only a slit open so we can take conscious naps on the streets. She's putting in her all and we literally enjoy every single moment. It's been a pretty cool experience. Much is going to happen this week. Woop woop. 

And I'll end here because my brain has clicked into the ''lets-tell-the-world-every-detailed-thought-of-everything'' state. So I think it's a good time to sign off before all that hubbub is unloosed :) 

I love you all. I absolutely love being a missionary.

Hermana Olson

April 4, 2016 Calmate y Tomate un Mate (Be calm and drink mate)

First things first! Shout out to Paul, Randy, and Anthony Inckley! That was pretty cool to see some famous friends singing in conference. #itsasmallworldafteryouarebaptizedandgotocollegeandgoonamission

Rahue has so many spiders. They are pretty freaky looking and everywhere. My companion buys a can of raid almost every Monday and when we leave to work, she usually spots about 3 new spiders every day on our porch. It's an entertaining way to walk out of the house after your companion spots a spider and it happens every day! 

Something Hermana Segura realized this week is how simply pathetic my life is in my chances of the ''what are the chances'' type of happenings happen. For example, yesterday. I was sitting in the chapel of the stake center watching conference right next to a curtain. After a little while, I turned my head a slight .5 degree angle to see a big giant black spider .5 centimeters from my eyelash. (Yes that close) And it didn't startle that bad just thought it was interesting so I tapped my companion and pointed to the spider, and as I turn my head back to look at it, IT LEAPED ONTO ME!!!! 

Then I was startled. 

And I flailed (tal como Eskeleto de Nacho Libre when Nacho launches an stick to his back) and I flew to the floor in between the pews... I didn't exactly anticipate to react that way, but I did and I was thoroughly embarrassed. Thoroughly because my companion couldn't stop laughing for a whole 15 minutes and if there is anything I don't like is calling the attention of faithful Chilean saints listening to an apostle speak! It was a funny though. I don't know where the spider went...I wouldn't be surprised if I swallowed it in my silent gasp of fright. 

Whatever. 

I had intercambios with Hermana Rojas from Argentina on Tuesday. She just started her mission and lives in a tiny little house that gets very cold so she wanted to learn to chop wood and make a fire. It was so fun. She got the hang of it pretty fast. Hermana Segura has been wanting to learn for the last 3 weeks so she got friendlily frustrated that I didn't take the time to show her before. The next two nights we got back late and didn't have time to chop more so we just used what we had ya chopped. I came down with a malicious cold so I after planning I laid down and my companion brought up a nice toasty fire! It was the first one she made and she just made it! That was pretty cool. A few days later, we were on intercambios and she wanted to make a fire so she just went outside and tried it out. I came back and later that night she just pulled out the ax and said, watch this. And she is a beast a chopping wood. I was pretty impressed. Mostly because her entire motive of hacking it so hard and powerfully is because she's afraid of the spiders that are looming over her and in the wood. While she chops the wood, she doesn't pick it up off the ground with her hands because she doesn't want to touch the spiders, so she literally hacks the ax into it to pick it up. It's hilarious and quite impressive. Then she walks in the house with her pile of chopped wood and makes a fire in a jiffy. She always says, ''They call me the fire God.'' haha when really she's the only person that has said that. But if we weren't Mormons, I would in fact consider her a fire God. She has a gift. I’m a proud companion :) 

Well despite I was overcome with the most tedious colds of all colds, this week was indeed a BLAST. I wish you could all see Hermana Segura and me walking down the street. We pass all the days laughing and laughing and laughing. That's something I really like about Hermana Segura she knows how to laugh. She and I have got a similar sense of humor and unique wittiness-es that complement the humor of the other, and if they don't, well we just laugh at the nonsense of the thought. We just have fun hanging out 24/7. It's a good thing. 

On Saturday, Claudia got baptized! The service was so simple. She was so happy. It was a special conclusion to the first half of conference. I wonder what her experience was of not being a member for half of conference and a member for the second. Would she receive different revelations? That's neat.

I also had the greatest privilege of going on an intercambio with the one and only Hermana Gardner in Francke nuevamente!!!

We were so excited when we started our way from Francke on over to our little area. We stepped off that bus and I was overcome with an incredible feeling of gratitude for Heavenly Father giving me the opportunity to step foot in my old area once again with my same companion and work one more day there. We both felt so normal being back together. Three weeks difference has made us different, but we had both progressed in our knowledge and experience as missionaries so we had the same sociability between us. We got there later than most intercambios start, at 5, so I really only had 4 hours of work in that sector. We just walked the streets, contacted people, and kept the work going just like we used to. I was surprised by the lack of anxiety to go see everyone I loved. It was just another day in the missionary field of Francke. I realized the greatest part of Francke really was Hermana Gardner. We passed by Claudio's salchipapa stand, he's engaged!!

Then we taught a new investigator she and her companion found. Victor came and taught with us. He testified of Joseph Smith and the importance of a prophet. That was a very special experience seeing how the spirit really is the teacher. Victor is an excellent missionary. He was more than thrilled for general conference. Going to Francke was one of the greatest blessings of my mission. There would be much to say, but my experience there gives me such peace for the future to come. The way I worked my 6 months there, the way I left feeling I had done what I needed, the people I knew, the person I became, the opportunity to come back was just another cherry on the top. I saw how my little compañera nuevita was now a fully independent servant of the Lord`s vineyard and was taking care of that place very well with her new companion. Now she is the nurse’s companion just as I had been right before. Pretty neat the circle of life. The way things go. It's all just an eternal round of perfection if we try to live God's plan and do his will. 

We stopped by the fruteria to say hello to Jaqueline and Maria, who we used to visit almost every other day.  They are still teaching them.

As far as general conference goes.....just don't forget it. We set up a lot of chairs hoping for great attendance.

I love you family. Abound in good works and let me know how life gets to treating ya. 

Hermana Olson

March 28, 2016 The Feria

All of our district went to the feria.   

It was a fun activity. 

DOORKNOBS AND TOOLS. I took that picture for Dad. The man in charge was named Irwin. He's 80 years old. Taking the picture striked his interest in who we were and telling him it reminded me of my dad, he started talking about his dad and how he caries on the work from his dad and that he dad is dead and family good stuff so we talked to him about family history work and boomskadoosh he was super interested. YES! 

...thanks dad :)

That church is our neighboring ward´s church. It looks like Nauvoo a lil bit :)

Our mamita gives us bananas every day :) Every day we try to think of something new. This day it was Angel Moroni. 

A family night with Hermana Talimatasi. And a glorious batman face door entrance in La Union terminal. Out of the many picture-worthy things I've seen in my mission, I finally got a picture with one of them. :)

Hermana Olson

March 21, 2016 Keep it UP!

Thank you so much for writing me always. I think I am the worst missionary that keeps in touch. And it surprises me tanto because I love keeping in touch so much. But well, my mission has been a whole chunk of time of plain basically not keeping in touch the way I would have imagined it haha. Don't take it personally, please. I absolutely love your emails and everything about all of you. For me at least, my service here just hasn't permitted much time to dedicate to you. And that is how it is. I just hope you all understand that :) Every Monday I get all excited and say, ''I'm going to reply to everyone this week!'' ...and then it just doesn't happen. Thank you for your patience always. I treasure you all! 

This week was great. It passed by so fast! ...as I look back on all that went down, though, it feels like a lifetime (...well, I suppose that ends up flashing before your eyes as well). 

Monday we cleaned the house and bought food and wrote to you all. Then we met up with an Hermana from Francke ward! Because her daughter's last name is Segura and she had a dream always to take a picture of her little girl with Hermana Segura’s missionary placa. When I said bye to her two weeks ago (before knowing I would be Hermana Segura's companion), I gave her the number of the missionaries in Rahue alto. She called on Monday and when she found out I was Hermana Segura’s companion she and her daughter screamed and ran to us across the street with tears in their eyes. It was a precious tender moment. Hermana Segura felt like a Disney Princess :) 

Then we waited for a colectivo to our sector. They take forever to find one that has space for two people. I don't know why those colectivos are so limited for where we live. Two grannies butted in front of us while we were climbing in. Then half an hour later, a mom and her son did the same. haha I guess we missionaries just have a good nice impression on the world so much that they don't fear my ninja powers. My ninja powers have not been released for a long while. haha Anyway we made it home eventually. I always like to think that we did those impatient people a favor. A lo mejor they had an emergency to take care of! 

Enough of that nothing. 

Tuesday we had a meeting then scurried off to intercambios with the hermanas in Centro. I went to their sector with Hermana Leiva. They had to wait for an hermano to come repair some things in their house, and it just so turned out to be my old missionary leader and another hermano from barrio Francke! We also ended up going to their first ward council in that barrio centro. The zone leaders of Osorno were just put in that ward. And being as it they were my old zone leaders they called on me to put in my two cents from my experience with Francke with the missionary work with the ward. The council got super excited to put in more effort. That was pretty cool. 

Wednesday we had another meeting and Hna Segura and I found some new people to teach, then a member met up with us for an appointment that fell through. And so she walked around with us for a bit as we tried to enter more houses. Meesh. Nothing ended up happening while we were with her, but it was a good time anyway. She wants to accompany us again. 

Thursday we had zone conference with Presidente. It was filled with much learning and evaluating. I loved it. He let us know with all the love of his heart, that we aren't doing everything that the Lord is expecting. There is a lot to do. We focused on ourselves as missionaries and how we are going to change and do it NOW so we can get on moving and progressing even more. We had a very good day that day. 

On Friday we had intercambios with the sisters in Rio Bueno. I stayed here in this sector with Hermana Sosa. She only has a week and a half in the mission, but president had called us saying she wanted to go home already. She misses her family terribly. She talked to me all the hour ride back from Rio Bueno and said she just didn't feel like the mission is the greatest just like ''everyone told her.'' 

Well, we ate lunch with the mamita and got to work. ....we were lost for an hour and a half trying to find the house (I had no idea where anything was in this area) so that we could drop off her suitcase. We looked pretty desperate and it turned out to be a great street contacting tactic. We had so much fun and found a lot of new and cordially receptive people. By the end of the day, we had contacted 30 people, and taught two families! And they both accepted to be baptized! It was a really fun experience. When we were leaving, Hermana Sosa said, ''The mission is incredible. Tell president I'm not going home.'' 

Saturday Hermana Segura and I reunited again and finally planned for the next week. It's a pretty odd point in my mission right now. There is a lot to be done and a lot to be balanced (as always but like times 14). This upcoming week we have 3 intercambios. It's crazy! Lots of meeting and lots of traveling and lots to do! And not to mention our own working area! It will be alright though because the Spirit fills us in on everything that we need to know and what we've gotta do. I gotta focus more on that. 

Hermana Segura and I have been enjoying each other’s company a lot lately! We are always laughing and every moment is a great adventure. One of our favorites was trying to contact a reference of a 15 year old boy named Belham. When we showed up at tal house, we found ourselves with his Evangelist Priest Grandpa with his little oyente half-drunk man. They both started trying to argue about whatsoever thing possible. It was pretty silly. I don't have time to tell you it all but just imagine Voldemort with Wormtail (the weird rat man sidekick?) and the missionaries. It was so interesting and rather hilarious. Ask me about it someday. I'd like to have a good laugh! 

One tarde while walking in the street, we found ourselves in silence. And randomly, Hermana Segura said, ''Do you know what I want'' And without hesitation, I said ''Chinese food.'' She freaked out because I was right. I was completely right. I just smiled. She was practically jumping up and down in unbelief. I still don't know how I knew that, but in the moment I also felt like it was one of those DUH thoughts.... haha Chinese food doesn't even exist here. We had never spoken of that either... The weirdest part of it all was that was all said in English. Pretty sweet. 

We both bought a separate jar of peanut butter last week. That was a fat mistake. Quite literally because it's already gone. 

This ward is so used to sister missionary ''deaths'' here that it is pretty much ALL they talk about. Then they all go into their lamentations of how depressed they were when they got back home and how the life never really is the same. And that we only have so long before (most say the exact amount of days) PSH! Please! I feel like I have opened that cursed Jumanji board and I am involuntarily being sucked into that black globe! 

Pues, we are running, I feel very alone. Kind of like my junior year cross-country days... However, I remember just pressing on until I caught a second breath and began gliding toward the finish line. 

I love the scriptures. I love the hymns. And I love prayer. They all turn my heart to my Heavenly Father and keeps me hopeful and happy for the end. I'm here now and I will gladly keep going. The challenges right now is like a constant lucha libre in my mind. Constant prayer has the greatest punch. I am constantly receiving answers. Yesterday, I had a spectacular finding in the scriptures. I was searching some footnotes on something and found D and C 34 written to Orson Pratt. In the Spanish version, it begins with his name and so the giant all cap letters say ORSON, but I just so happened to ''accidentally'' read it as ''OLSON.'' 

As accordingly, I read something that I had felt had been written just to me. It was a very clear and special answer that I needed in this time! 

I'm just gonna keep going and as I do, my Savior, Jesus Christ will be with there with me. Always. Even to the end--the very day He comes again. 

Isn't that marvelous? Wouldn’t any person in this trying life like to feel that? And have it be their own?

Yes.

And this is my privilege in this moment. And forever more. I'm a daughter of God helping my brothers and sisters come unto Christ. He is my shield and buckler of any challenge or fear that tries its way. 

Soy Hermana Olson. He sido llamdo de Dios a predicar su evangelio como voz de trompeta. Y en esto, me gloriaré. 

That second breath will come. I'm happy. I'm smiling. My foundation is built upon the rock of our Savior. There are only great things to come and great things already! 

We have a family night in the house of our bishop and his family! And we are bringing along a family that is investigating the church! The husband is menos activo, and his wife is preparing for her baptism in two weeks! I also just finished a pretty perfect loaf of banana bread. So tonight will be GR8. :)

Miracles are always happening. High fives all around. 

I love you.

Hermana Olson

March 14, 2016 Cambios!

Francke feels like it's a world away. But it's really just down by the banks. 

On Monday, we went to a family night with Family Muñoz to teach Victor about the Obra Misional. When we showed up, we opened the door to a full house of very special people. They had all come to say goodbye to me! After teaching the lesson, Hermano Marcelo showed a Mormon message video about missionaries, BUT THEN it continued a little longer into a slideshow full of pictures of me with the ward! It was all very special and I was completely surprised. I love that ward so much. They are so thoughtful.

That ward is going to the temple in Abril together and all of our 8 converts are preparing and reserving to be able to go! The temple is everything. You are so blessed to have one 20 minutes from your house. Imagine only being able to go once a year, if even that! I haven't gone for a year and 2 months, boy do I miss it. 

Go. 

Our leaders forgot about Hermana Gardner and I once again and so we were quite interestingly surprised when the mission nurse (now Hermana Arroyo) called us on Wednesday at 8 am and said, ''Hi! I need to communicate me with my new companion!'' ...oh. haha She couldn't believe the elders didn't tell us anything. So we got everything together in a jiffy of 2 hours and skedaddled to the grand change!

I am in an area called Rahue Alto. It's just across the Chaurakawin Bridge (from Francke) and up a ginormous hill. Boop. Here I am. And it's about ELEVEN TIMES BIGGER than Francke. ....but Francke is about the size of our dinner table...so perhaps that's not an adequate multiplication. This sector is very huge. It's also known for the death place of many hermanas. ...including my companion! Hermana Segura. She's from Syracuse, Utah, the oldest of 3 kids. Her dad is from Colombia.  She and I were in Punta Arenas together so it's cool to be comps now. And she is finishes in 5 weeks. She has been in this sector for 4 months and is kind of sick of it. We have about 2 progressing investigators. We had about 5 set appointments every day and every single one fell through. The people aren't really out in the streets and everyone works outside of Rahue and are pretty reserved. The members don't support the missionary work very well. So her experience here has been a lot of walking and knocking. She hasn't had a great time here and doesn't have very animated opinions about the ward. She has basically decided to hold out, no más, till she finishes. 

....little does she know that this is going to be the greatest cambio of her entire mission!!!! 

I know that the Lord is expecting a lot from this ward. I know that He knows perfectly well the circumstances and difficulties, so what better way to do his work than to rely on Him and His counsel? It's the greatest secret of the missionary work for this week because I've learned so much! 

On Wednesday, we ran into a member on the street and we got to know her a little. The she expressed her concern for her daughter that was distancing from the church very much and she and her husband didn't know what more to do to help her. I told her, ''Don't you worry! We are in this together!'' She put on a huge smile and said, ''Really?'' Then we said Of course! Then she invited us to her house! We went in, met her daughter, taught the whole family a short lesson and felt the spirit. We fell well with the daughter and the mom was beaming with smiles! At the end we asked if there is anything we could do to help them. The mom said, ''Bring your investigators to our house. We'll do a family night.''  OKAY THEN! 

Before leaving, her son came home. The sister had already mentioned that he had put in his missionary papers already! So I said, ''I heard you are preparing to serve a mission.'' ‘‘Yeah'' ''so I bet you are helping the sister missionaries a ton!'' he looked a bit surprised, then after a good second of silence he said, ''I am now! ''  Wooooo!!!! 

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday we had similar experiences. The lord put more members in our path and they guided us to their house and now they are very excited to work with us! Woo! It's amazing. I don't even know why I am trying to write any of this down. It all sounds so lame written. 

Yesterday we had stake conference with all of Chile broadcast. President Nelson spoke in Spanish. 

Last night we went to the bishop’s house to get to know him. He lives there with 4 returned missionary children and another member in the ward and his wife were there. All 8 of them are converts. We shared a scripture with them, felt the spirit and we invited them to help us in the work. We said, ''Que les parece?'' BAM. They all were more than excited! Aaaaahhh!!!! 

Anyway I'm running out of time. I don't even know what I really want to say to you all. I just know that Heavenly Father is expecting a lot from my companion and me this month and the ward. I am super excited. Miracles are happening. And I can't tell you all of them obviously. 

This week to come will be FANTASTIC. 

Well, I gotta go. I love you all. Forgive the scattered email. Too much happens in a week. 

Hermana Olson

March 7, 2016 Something's Fishy

Annamarie’s hand-written letter:

Good Morning Family!

It’s 6:30 a.m. and I got up to use the bathroom and now I can’t go back to sleep.  So I thought I’d take advantage of this extra half-an-hour, before we gotta exercise, and write you folks yet another hand-written email!

It’s really dark in the mornings now.  I can see the moon. . . well, you can always see the moon, but it looks like the fall season finally crept its way around the corner.  Supposedly, fall lasts about 2 days here and then comes the 7-month rain storm =).  I remember when it was dark in the mornings here back in October, then ever so swiftly the sun came out more and more and MORE until it was up at 5:45 ish and down at 10:15!  I’ve lived in Francke for quite some time.  Enough time to experience nearly all 4 seasons! =)

Yesterday, Hermana Gardner and I realized that summer really is on its way out, and that she arrived right in its blooming.  That’s a pretty neat way to start your mission in Chile Osorno.  It’s ideal!

This time with Hermana Gardner has been so ideal.  We still can’t believe it.  Yesterday we were remembering experiences tras experiences and work tras work and after a while we both looked at each other a little worriedly and thought “What’s the catch?”  We feel like there must be something huge like a Twilight Zone twist that puts the entire story in a shock.

We concluded that really Hermana Gardner and I are just the figments of imagination of our real missionary selves, suffering in the pouring rain with no success or enthusiasm, just day-dreaming of what they wished could be their mission.  Imagine that!  We are day-dreamed missionaries!

These 3 months haven’t exactly been easy, but they would classify to be what I would call missionary bliss.  We got along extremely well, we worked extremely hard, and we tood advantage of every moment to enjoy plain old refreshing PREACHING THE GOSPEL!

Well, I could go on forever. . . this is why I wanted to write so that I could save time in my limited time because there is just too much that happens in a day, how could I possibly give a sum-up of a WEEK!

. . .So I guess to get started telling you about my week:

I’ll start with Monday.  And rewind a bit to Sunday. . .we visited Jose and he still was mas o menos with his decision to be baptized.  Long story short, we tried calling him on Monday, but he wasn’t answering.  Then our neighbor, and Relief Society President, Sandra, stopped by his house in the afternoon to invite him to their house for family night.  She let him know we had tried calling him earlier in the day.  He said, “Oh I was in centro buying some “ropita” (clothes)” and Hna. Sandra said he put on a huge smile as if he were a little boy and said, “Shall I show you?”  The next thing she knew he walked into the room wearing ALL WHITE spinning (ever so slowly) and saying, “Que tal?” (How is it?)  He had gone to the market to buy his own baptismal clothes!  Unfortunately. . .the only pants he could find were long john thermal underwear. . .haha  so the bishop made a friendly visit and gently offered to lend him some pants for the service.

All in all, his spontaneous shopping trip got him super enthused and more certain in his decision to be baptized.  He passed the maximum in the Noche de Hogar (family night) with Hermana Sandra and her family.  She said he brought an entire cake.

Continued from the cyber cafe:

Ah! Hola familia! I am here! And this computer is a little terrible. I have to bend down to type in the keyboard because the drawer thing isn't really working and is caved in... and just my luck. I get stuck with this thing. Well, enough with the batter. I will try to write this out.

I'll just have to limit my words and thoughts and amazement of the Goodness of God to a minimum because it is taking forever to type....

Okay so I am sending a foto of the beginning of my handwritten email--what I was able to write in half an hour. Then we exercised and studied and now we are here.

So to continue on with my letter:

On Sunday, Victor came to church and was very happy and content. Then later that evening we had a lesson with him in the church. And he was absolutely and entirely deflated of whatsoever enthusiasm or desires to learn, to participate....and to be baptized. While he was at church someone had entered his window and robbed his wallet that had over 400 dollars inside, and it wasn't exactly his money either. He works in a charity and half of that money was donated. He was devastated because his activity he was in charge of is next week and he didn't know what to do. We told him to trust in the Lord and his purposes. At the end of the lesson, he informed us that he doesn't feel like he should be baptized for another year or so because he needs to be sure that it is all true. He said he wants to be baptized not to be baptized, but to keep going. So he wants to be sure. We told him that knowing isn't so much a thing of time as it is a thing of faith to know. That all he had to do is kneel and pray with sincerity of heart to know, and trust that he would receive an answer. He said very unenthused, ''Yeah...alright.'' It was such a drastic change in him... We were worried, but we knew we did our part. On Monday, Victor called us and said he wasn't going to go to the family night because he had a terrible accident with his back while searching for his wallet in every knook and cranny and had been stuck in bed all day...and he didn't find his wallet. I mean, HE WAS PLAIN MISERABLE.

Later, when we got home, Hermana Gardner realized she had been robbed about 200 bucks, because just that day in centro we had taken out our money for the month and she had taken out personal money. It was a bummer and we felt pretty bad. But anyway that's another story.

On Tuesday, we wanted to find Victor because the interviews were going to be on Thursday, but we needed to know if he was going to baptized, and he wasn't answering his phone. So like any missionary, we were worried. Well, we stopped by the tiny cyber to enter in some referrrals and POP! There was Victor! 

He told us he needed to talk to us. So he did :) 

To make an incredible story more normal, he said that that morning around 3 am he was sick of being in pain and confusion. He hadn't slept for two days and all he did was lay there on his bed. So he decided to finally do something about it. He got up, went outside and knelt down in front of his trees ''like José Shcmidt'' and said a prayer for Heavenly Father to help him know and recognize an answer to know that what we had taught him was true and if he should be baptized on Saturday. He said after the prayer he opened his eyes, saw the trees and got scared because he didn't want anything big to happen, like what happened to Joseph Smith. So he skidaddled inside....hahahaha Oh, Victor. 

Anyway, he said that when he went inside, he got the impression to recheck his bed for his wallet. So he did. But to his dismay, there was nothing. So he sat down to try to recognize an answer to his prayer. But all that entered into his mind again was ''recheck your bed.'' So he did! ....and yet again there was nothing. He said he got a little bummed out and decided to just try to sleep and not think so much. Then he said all he remembers is having a dream of someone knocking on the door and him sitting up in his bed, but not answering because he was freaked out that someone was at his door so early in the morning, so he laid back down. That's all that he remembered. And then. . .

He woke up, it was normal morning. The first thing he remembered was his prayer he said. Then the first thing that happened was he moved his hand. AND THEN, there, in his hand lay his wallet. He told us that he knew he was prompted to check his bed twice because his normal more doubtful self might have excused this miracle to be a coincidence. He knew, and testified to us that Heavenly Father answered his prayer and that everything we had taught him was true. And there in his heart, he recieved his answer.

There was so much joy when we heard that. This measley typed up story doesn't do the way he told us justice. But the best line of it all was what followed right after, ''Así que, hermanas, vayan a calentar el agua, en sábado, me bautizo.'' (So, sisters, go warm up the water, Saturday, I'm getting baptized.)

And the great circle of life just so happened to put us there in that cyber in that moment where it all began. We invited him to an English class and he came. Hermana Gardner and I started this class to find people. And well, we found Victor.

He and Jose were baptized this Saturday. It was so special.

There is so much more to tell you. But here is when the clock ticked too fast and I must end.

I know I am leaving Francke. It's been the greatest time of my life. I treasure this ward more than I even know. It's difficult to describe my feelings, so I won't.

But I will say, I never felt more calm in my life, a pesar que los lideres no nos van a decir los cambios until tomorrow! (even though the leaders aren't going to tell the transfers until tomorrow.) So we know something is happening. I guess you'll all find out next week!

I love you all! 

Pictures:

 

What a happy day

 The picture of them walking above was so awesome. Jose was so giddy and said, ''Me voy en avión!'' (I'm flying in a plane!") After his baptism he said "I feel so light! ...but it seems like the water may have been a little to hott because I leave a little balded." hahaha he has a good sense of humor

 Someone got a candid shot of when I dropped Victor's camera.... yeah the picture explains it all. The lens went super chueco and it looked pretty bad. Victor was patient and loving...thank goodness. hahaha 

AND we all said a billion prayers in our hearts and I smacked the lens sideways and bAM! WEehee it fixed.

This is him in his suit that he saved especially for his confirmation. And that tie is from California he was pretty thrilled about all that! 

yeah buy1 

Hermana Olson

February 29, 2016 --------------

This week was even better than the last. Last week's me would have said, ''I still don't know how that is possible,'' but this week's me finally figured it out. 

Line upon line. 

That's how life is and how is always will be. 

On Wednesday we had a South American-Wide missionary conference with Elder Bednar. It was amazing. I learned so much from all the things I already knew. Elder Bednar gave us two guidelines for our notes of while he spoke:

1. Don't write anything I say down. (I wrote that down....)

2. (I don't remember what it was because I didn't write it down....hahaha and I literally just realized that I don't remember the second guideline, but I do remember he gave us two guidelines) 

Anyway he told us to write what the Spirit is saying and not what he says. It was the coolest note taking experience ever. I learned a lot and my comp as well. We applied it immediately and saw many many many fruits. 

We focused on the making sure that the Spirit was the teacher in our lessons and studies and not ourselves. The Spirit is a perfect teacher. All of our investigators´progress just TOOK OFF. It was an accelerating miracle. 

José stopped reading the Book of Mormon picture book because he decided to put confidence in himself. He's read all the way up to Alma. He doesn't remember much of it, unless he opens up and then teaches us everything! 

Victor now not only is our trusty faithful English student, but is a faithful nonmemeber member of our ward. The ward loves him. He's hilarious and sincere. This Friday we had a goodbye party for Hermana Cristina and her new husband that are moving to Antofogasta, Victor came and talked to the bishop for about an hour. The bishop absolutely loves Victor and is excited for another priesthood holder so enthused for to contribute to the ward. 

We found out more about Ismenia from some neighbors. She had a stroke about 2 years ago. She also had a husband two years ago. When she got the stroke, she didn't lose just her ability to speak, read, write, but she lost a lot of friends and her husband. The ward is amazing and has developed a ton of love for her!!! The bishop put light in her house. Some other brothers from the ward cut her foot tall grass and now people in cars go to pick her up in the morning for church. It's amazing how much love really heals people. She still has a paralyzed side of her body, but her heart is alright. AND all of a sudden she looked down at the Book of Mormon and screamed and looked at us and pointed to the book and looked at us and looked down at the book and said ``ESO!`` ESO!!! After a few guesses she we all concluded that she was able to read and understand what the cover of the Book of Mormon said! She was very excited to be left a mini tarea to read a few verses. She can read!  

All three of them have accepted to be baptized this Saturday. 

The mission is the maximum. There is no purer joy than seeing the effect the gospel has in the lives of those that are willing to permit the Spirit work in their hearts, or their minds, or even their strength. I love it and I love the work. 

There is so much to be done this week, just as them all. I'm excited for what lines fall upon the lines of last week! This is the last week before cambios. Everyone in the ward talks about cambios as if they knew. But they've been doing that since the second week of this cambio. haha I feel calm. I feel content with the work we are doing and the work we will continue to do up until the last moment, which in the eternal scheme of things...doesn't exist :) 

Well that's all I have time for! I love you all!

Hermana Olson

P.S. HOLY COW EMILY WHAT MORE RANDOM CALL COULD EXIST. But I know that it wasn't random because Heavenly Father made it the most precise in the timing. ...I'll see you in another two years I guess :) 

P.P.S. Mom I still don' have my pendrive to load pics from my camera so these are from my comps cam. I'll send the other written letter emails next week. I love you. 

fotos:

Lider (chilean walmart) apparently had a great celebration for my companion today!!!! hahaha 

She is the best. I love her.

This is the family night last week. Franco brought his sister and Yovanny brought his mom! New investigators!!!! I love these people so much.

This was an activity with Barrio Francke a long time ago, but I found these pictures and still love them. 

The stake president, presidente Muñoz. He has a lot of energy and enthusiasm always. He's in our ward. The older brother of our ward missionary leader. Super awesome. 

The ward!!! hahaha they are all so great! This is a dance called Chichiwa. It's like the children's song equivalent of I don't want to be Chicken. But it is REALLY long and annoying unless you're with a good company. Unfortunately, missionaries can't dance. :) 

In the right corner is our fantastic bishop and his wife! THEY ARE SO FANTASTIC.